Held in the Stars
by bellahatesyou
Summary: Erika grows up to be decidedly passive and believes no matter how much effort she puts into what's meant to be, the irony of fate won't just take a turn for the better as she pleases. Until an uncomplicated enigma named Uchiha Itachi contributes to her life, for real this time. ItachixOC. In-universe. RnR?
1. The Target

**Summary** : Erika grows up to be decidedly passive, and believes no matter how much effort she puts into what's meant to be, the irony of fate won't just take a turn for the better as she pleases. Until an uncomplicated enigma named Uchiha Itachi contributes to her life, for real this time. Where has she been after all these years to only notice him just now? Because she might have to go back to her native comfort zone here and now.

 **Alerts** : The genres may change and the rating may also go higher in the long run.

 **Disclaimer** : Roses are red, violets are blue. I own nothing except my OC and her own kin, so don't sue me!

* * *

 **Chapter One** : The Target

The last person Erika wished to meet was none other than Hyūga Hanabi, the clan leader's youngest daughter. Be that as it may, stopping by the Hyūga residence wasn't a very wise decision to begin with, which Erika made sure she would consider it carefully next time. If truth be told, she didn't hold a certain grudge against Hanabi, nor the main family. She only came for a long-lasting visit because the kotatsu table at her home was broken, and she had the intention to borrow Hiashi's kotatsu since he owned two or three of them, moreover, they were all custom-made and Erika liked either of them best. Besides, all the kotatsu tables were unoccupied there, seeing that Hiashi was engrossed in training with his eldest daughter, Hinata.

It was unusually freezing today, that was why Erika insisted on playing hide-and-seek instead of playing ninja at Hanabi's request. Hanabi had asked Natsu, the lady's maid of the Hyūga residence to tag along with her and Erika. However, Natsu was too busy preparing dinner and couldn't play with them. That being so, Hanabi once again floated an idea to play ninja alternatively, but Erika still persisted in playing hide-and-seek because she couldn't wait for hiding under the kotatsu and falling asleep after a while.

"Found ya, Erika no Nee-san! You're the 'it' now!" Hanabi slightly lifted up the heavy blanket underneath the table surface. It took her less than Erika's estimation to ultimately find her hiding place, she didn't even have the time to doze off until Hanabi came and declared the new 'it'.

"That's incredible, Hanabi-sama!" Erika praised the younger girl, "But how did you find out?"

"I dunno, maybe because it's your favorite place?" Hanabi shrugged her little shoulders, "This is boring if we just play it with the two of us, Onee-san. Let's play something else!"

"Okay," the older girl nodded, "What do you wanna play?"

 _Please, not playing ninja again. I'm a ninja already and I regret ever becoming one._

"Playing ninja, of course!" Hanabi exclaimed cheerfully, causing Erika to bring close her palm to her face. Noticing Erika's unenthusiastic reaction, Hanabi couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a ninja, Onee-san?"

"Uh-huh."

"But you don't look like one," the brunette opined without mincing her words. Erika opened out her hazel eyes in surprise, making Hanabi correct her statement that very minute. "Um, I mean, you spend most of your time in my house a lot. I'm just curious why you aren't as busy as Kou is, he's off on a mission a lot, and he's also a ninja, isn't he?"

To tell you the truth, Erika had gotten used to hearing those words that were supposed to be hurtful, which expressed that she didn't look like _one_. Many stated that she didn't look like a stereotypical Hyūga, thanks to the auburn hair and hazel eyes she took after her mother, who wasn't from the Hyūga clan. And now a 2-year-old girl had repeated the same popular opinion everyone had been giving, the only difference was she was questioning her duty as a ninja.

"Yes, he is," Erika answered, "But not everyone receives as many missions as Kou-sama does routinely."

"Does it mean you're less skilled than Kou?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't fought against him before so I can't tell." She crossed her arms over her chest loosely before she added, "Don't underestimate my capability that much, Hanabi-sama. I did quite okay back in my Academy days to be able to graduate earlier than most students my age."

"Really? How old were you when you graduated from the Academy?"

"Hmm, I was nine if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not even so sure about it, Onee-san, who knows Kou turned out to graduate earlier than you did?" Hanabi giggled. "And I don't see graduating early makes you a good ninja either!"

"The earlier you graduate from the Academy, the faster you become a real ninja."

"So Hinata-nee-sama isn't a ninja yet?!"

"Not yet, but maybe soon," Erika flashed a smile. For all that, she couldn't guarantee anything. It all depended on Hinata herself whether she was capable of taking the exams sooner or not, but the rumor had it that Hiashi wasn't satisfied enough with the result of the daily training he had been pressing on his daughter. And Erika would only be lying if she said it didn't worry her in the slightest because in actual fact, it did.

"How do you think I can graduate ahead of time like you?"

"By entering the Academy first?"

"I know, but I can't right now! I asked Otou-sama to enroll me in the same class as Hinata-nee-sama, but he said I was too young and still had a long way to go!"

"Of course, you're only two years old, Hanabi-sama, you need to be at least six years old to join the Academy."

"No! I don't have the patience to wait that long! Let's practice harder than Hinata-nee-sama, Onee-san! I'll make Otou-sama think twice about holding me down."

Erika wasn't one hundred percent certain of why she had to struggle along with Hanabi. Perhaps because Hanabi seemed to be slightly lonely ever since her elder sister had to train very hard to meet Hiashi's expectation despite her fairly young age. And Erika tried to understand Hanabi's circumstances by keeping her company most of the time and not taking her words to heart there and then because kids her age were all brutally honest and didn't consider every word carefully before they opened their mouth.

On the bright side, being brought into the branch family wasn't as bad as Erika had thought. She admitted that she was still envious of those who were born into the main family, and deep down; she still wished to become one of them, but not the daughter of the head of the clan. She had two reasons; the first reason was not to be siblings with Hanabi. Just Hanabi. Hinata seemed like she had always been a good kid, but Hanabi was intolerable. The longer Erika had been one of Hanabi's caretakers and Hanabi's only playmate, the more she couldn't tolerate Hanabi's mischievousness. The last but not the least reason was not to have to deal with the clan's responsibility that Erika absolutely knew nothing about.

"But Hanabi-sama, a ninja sometimes has to hide from the enemy's sight. And I think this hide-and-seek game is the perfect example to learn the basic from." Erika came out with an earthly reason.

Even so, Hanabi wasn't convinced by it. "Don't be a coward, Onee-san! Show your face and kick their asses without being sorry about it!"

"You can't do that! It's pretty much the same as asking for trouble!" Erika sighed in defeat. She had to give in, otherwise, the war of words wouldn't come to an end and she didn't wish to prolong it. "Let's play real ninja outside if it's really what you want. But be careful! Don't get yourself into trouble because I'll have to take responsibility for—"

"Who says we're playing ninja?" Hanabi cut her off, "You're going to train me to become a ninja, Erika no Nee-san. Let's go!"

"Hey! Don't go out without putting on your outerwear! Remember, I can't ever train you again if I'm murdered by your father the next morning."

"I can still ask Kou or Neji-nii-san to train me!" Hanabi stuck out her tongue jokingly, "Come on, Onee-san! I don't wanna skip dinner because of you."

* * *

Where are we going?" Asked Erika as she walked behind Hanabi. She did wonder every so often how tiny feet of Hanabi's could take wider steps than her own legs were able to without half trying. And because Hanabi didn't forget to bring her gloves around, she refused to go hand in hand with Erika and started assuming that she had become dependable enough not to be tripped over her own feet while walking, which she couldn't show beyond doubt. Much to Erika's dismay, Hanabi had stumbled on herself twice or more, and if the layer of snow under their feet wasn't thick enough, Hanabi would've cried endlessly and left Erika in the wrong.

"You'll see," Hanabi smiled smugly, trying to make herself appear somewhat mysterious. Erika had lost her track once or twice when she attempted to take a shortcut to home; hence her brain was quite familiar with the region of Konoha edge and back. She wasn't completely sure about where Hanabi was willing to lead her to, but the route they had been taking so far headed off to Naka River if her memory served her correctly. _But why the Naka River of all places?_

"I don't mean to damper on the fun, but just so you know, Hanabi-sama, the river has become frozen. I don't think we can go fishing with that."

"Nobody's going to go fishing, Onee-san!" Hanabi stated on further, "I'm going to learn how to walk on water, and you're going to teach me that!"

Erika had almost lost her mind. Pulling her a little bit forward, and she would be completely mad as a hatter. She let out a sigh to calm herself down and watched the white mist escape her mouth. _Is she testing my patience?_ She thought to herself while looking up at the sky hopelessly. The sky was overcast all day, so she didn't really become aware of the time. The time ticked by quicker than she anticipated, and she was thankful for it. The gray clouds had been obscuring the sun throughout the day, unknowingly; the night had all but fallen.

"It's late already, let's head back home," Erika suggested. Who would have thought the evening sky would give her inspiration to distract Hanabi?

"You can't lie to me, it's always been cloudy all day long."

"Ah, you're right. But Hanabi-sama, have you taken a bath this morning?"

"Nope. I did pretty well in escaping from Natsu's chase!" Hanabi boasted, "Besides, the water felt really cold this morning. I think I might have shivered myself to die if I took a dip in the water!"

"Wow, very impressive, Hanabi-sama! What's your secret not to be able to smell your own body odor?" The older girl looked daggers at the brunette, "I'm going to bath you, and you can't run away from me. Oh, to your advantage, you can learn how to float on the water at the same time I get you clean in the bathtub."

"Forget about the bath, we're here already!" Hanabi ran off as fast as her legs could carry her, "Try to catch me!"

"You rascal! Don't go off too far!" Erika chased after her.

"Look, Nee-san! I'm a ninja now. I can walk on the water!" At first, Hanabi watched her step, because she had surprisingly been aware of how slippery the ice could be. After her feet had gotten used to the ground where they stood, she started to accelerate her pace gradually.

"Don't speed up! The ice is rather slippery. You haven't grasped the basic of chakra control yet," warned Erika.

"This is easy as—"

What Erika feared the most had come true, Hanabi lost her balance and fell down. All of a sudden, the only things her ears could perceive were her own heartbeat, and Hanabi's cry echoing nonstop like a broken tape recorder. She didn't have the time to feel panicked and rushed off to Hanabi immediately. "You okay?" She squeezed the younger girl's shoulders gently, with Hanabi's head still facing downward.

"I'm… not," Hanabi answered timidly, her stare directed at her knee. There was an open cut on it, not looking very serious, yet fairly noticeable. And the blood was still oozing out from the wound. Much to Erika's surprise, Hanabi didn't cry. No, she was actually holding her tears back.

Once again, Erika sighed, "I told you so…" She brought her hand closer to Hanabi's injured knee, and released a friendly green chakra from her hand, performing the Mystical Palm Technique.

The younger girl who had been biting her lower lip while restraining herself from crying began to slightly open her mouth in awe. She had at least witnessed Erika applying this kind of healing method she didn't have a clue about on occasion when her sister came home with bruises all over her body after she trained so hard and diligently with their father. The wound wasn't as hurt as it was before. It seemed like Erika's hand had magically taken away the pain and stopped the bleeding. As time went by, Hanabi could see her wound healed up, leaving no scratch behind.

"Better?" Erika asked.

"Yeah!" Hanabi bowed her head with joy.

"We're certainly going home this time," insisted the older girl. "Can you walk on your own?"

"Of course!"

If Erika were to be completely honest with herself, she was secretly glad that Hanabi was far from being spoiled despite her status as the youngest daughter of the clan leader. Hanabi was actually a very dependent child, but at times, Erika had to admit that Hanabi could be as stubborn as a mule. Having said that, it didn't matter much to Erika now, she had regarded Hanabi as her own kid sister. Though her devotion to Hiashi's family was sort of forced at first, because she felt relatively indebted to his family, and being Hanabi's babysitter was the very least she could offer. However, it was almost extremely different now. Erika no longer looked after Hanabi because of her past gratitude, but because she felt that she was the only one who could relate to her. Hanabi had never met her mother ever since she was born, even though in Erika's case wasn't totally similar. Her mother had been there in her life for a really short time, she could barely remember anything about her, yet in her heart of hearts, she still believed her mother was still alive somewhere.

"Onee-san!" Hanabi suddenly grabbed Erika's hand, "The ice! It's cracking!"

Erika glanced down to see the ice under their feet had almost broken into separate parts. That being so, she tried not to start panicking so that Hanabi wouldn't be more frightened than she already had. "Hanabi-sama, get on my back!"

"We'll fall!"

"We won't," Erika assured, "Trust me."

Either Hanabi was persuaded or left with no option but to do as Erika said, Hanabi wrapped her arms around Erika's neck and let the older girl lift her weight up. As Erika was carrying Hanabi on her back, she stepped on the thin ice carefully and as slowly as possible. She had tried to leap over the ground, but Hanabi wouldn't stop screaming at her to keep the pace down, afraid of making cracks on the ice more.

"Onee-san, I still wanna take a warm bath… Not in this cold water," Hanabi sadly said.

"Despite that you nearly made me turn deaf with your shouting voice, I'm still glad to hear you finally want to take a bath."

"Don't tell me this is your idea all along so that I'm willing to have a bath without reluctance!"

"You're the one who insisted on going to Naka River, Hanabi-sama. Don't randomly pin the blame on me!" Erika turned ahead; a smile spread out her lips just when she noticed the riverbank was just around the corner. "Look! We're almost there."

Erika unintentionally took a false step and made the cracks become wider and visible, causing Hanabi to yell, "Don't walk further! Or else, we'll fall deep into the icy water!"

"Trust me, we won't," Erika convinced, "It's getting darker, we gotta come home as soon as possible before your father notices we've been missing the whole time. If you're scared, you can always shut your eyes and hold on tight because I'm seriously going to jump."

"That's a brilliant idea, Onee-san! If Otou-sama notices that, he will definitely come to our rescue."

"He's more likely to murder me for taking you out without permission…" Erika continued, "About what has happened just now, can you keep it—"

Before Erika could finish her sentence, the thin ice under her feet slightly went down, and she could feel the freezing water seeping into her boots. Spontaneously, Erika jerked forward and almost let Hanabi slip from her shoulders. Hanabi's safety was her highest priority, and she would risk her life in order to keep Hanabi from harm. Even though the only threat she was facing right here and now was the ice-covered Naka River. Still, Erika wouldn't be able to say a word if Hiashi demanded an explanation for Hanabi's drenched clothes. On the condition that Erika carelessly let Hanabi drown in the freezing river, which Erika would avoid at all costs.

As far as Erika knew, both her and Hanabi were the only ones in the vicinity, therefore she was taken by surprise when someone suddenly seized her wrist and pulled her and Hanabi forward to the riverbank. As her feet trod on the riverside, she came face to face with a mysterious boy whose height was around her. He was wearing a black hooded cloak, and his face was covered with a weasel-styled mask to boot.

"Are you the one who saved us?" Hanabi inquired. Since when had Hanabi been standing next to her? As far Erika could remember, she hadn't put Hanabi down from her back.

Instinctively, Erika moved ahead of Hanabi and stood in front of her, causing Hanabi to be taken aback, "What was that for, Onee-san?"

"What do you want?" Said Erika straightforwardly, "You're not here as a random passerby, aren't you?"

"That's not very nice, Onee—"

"I'm sorry, but don't intervene, Hanabi-sama," Erika changed her tone, "We still don't know what his motive is."

"I don't want anything from you, Erika-san," the masked boy answered. "I'm just carrying out the task I'm assigned to."

"H-how do you know my name? Who's your boss?" She stuttered, "Who exactly is your target?"

" _You_. But I'm not sure whether to address you as my target or not," he explained further. "It seems that you've misunderstood it, Erika-san. For your information, the ANBU commander has entrusted me with a task to watch over you, and I believe saving you from danger is a part of the job as well."

"The ANBU commander… you mean my father? What kind of father commanded his subordinate to stalk his own daughter?" She plastered an obvious look of annoyance on her face, knitting her brows. "I asked you how you even knew my name and the fact that you just ignored my question on purpose makes you even creepier than the first impression you left on me."

"My apologies, but I suppose an ANBU member isn't allowed to reveal his identity while on a mission, so I have to send my regrets, Erika-san," he excused, "Aside from the mission itself, I assure you that we may not be too familiar with each other, but we're more or less acquainted with one another, to say the least."

"You probably know me, and I know you in return, too, is that what you're trying to say?" Erika sneered, "I'm sorry, but if what you said were indeed true, you wouldn't speak to me so formally like that, I don't recall anyone calling me 'Erika-san' before."

The mysterious boy noticeably breathed a sigh. Erika wouldn't have thought the mist could even leak out of his mask. "I'm only doing this not as one of your father's men but your former classmate."

With that, he took off his mask, revealing his bare identity; supposing that he might have to face the consequences sooner or later. Erika had lost count of how many times she had been staggered, and she genuinely hate that she couldn't hide it well.

"Uchiha…" She had never been good at memorizing given names, yet many mistook her for being mannerly, which totally wasn't her style. _What's his name again?_ She caught glimpse of the weasel-styled mask he was holding. "Itachi?"

Hanabi threw a glance at both Erika and Itachi, who seemed to be having a friendly reunion at random after debating for quite some time now. She had been glancing confusedly at the two back and forth, and her gaze eventually stopped at Erika. "Onee-san! Did you forget about the warm bath you promised?" Reminded her, "More importantly, did you forget that I'm still here?!"

* * *

Author's note: heyo, welcome to 'Held in the Stars', readers! please gimme some reviews because it'll surely make my day and motivate me to write! hope y'all don't have a problem with my OC, she may be uninteresting and too bland here, but believe me; she won't be like that forever.

feel free to comment about everything, guys. but don't be so hard on me! also, bear with my very slow update because i spend most of my day at college huhu


	2. Broken Rules

**Chapter Two** : Broken Rules

Erika usually went home later than she was supposed to. Her father, Hyūga Kiyoshi, had imposed an inconsequential curfew on her since she was much younger, which required her to be at home before 9 in the evening. It was 11 p.m. now, and Erika didn't feel concerned in the slightest about it. She was certain somehow that Kiyoshi hadn't been home and wouldn't be at home until the day after tomorrow perhaps, seeing that his occupation as an ANBU commander demanded him to be unavailable most of the time.

Much to Erika's surprise, her father had come home earlier than she expected him to. Kiyoshi seemed to have been aware of Erika's absence from their residence as he arrived home; he was presently waiting for his daughter's explanation in the living room. His arms were crossed over his chest, a welcoming smile didn't greet her but a glare did. As much as Erika wanted to avoid having words with her father this late, she was left with no option but to face him.

"Oh, you're home early," she began, trying her best not to make Kiyoshi's blood boil.

"And you're home late." Countered Kiyoshi, still fixating his intimidating eyes on his daughter. "Are you aware of how late it is now, Erika?"

"Yes, I'm fully aware of it," she acknowledged, "But as long as I come home in one piece, does the professed curfew you imposed on me cut any ice?"

"Rules are rules, missy," reminded him sternly, "Rules are created to be obeyed and the purpose of rules is none other than to keep you from harm."

Erika rolled her eyes wearily, "I believe I'm older and _capable_ enough of protecting myself." She passed by her father and paid no heed to his presence anymore, until a mental note halted her steps, "Oh, one more thing." She turned around and continued, "I assure you I'm carrying out my duty as a member of the branch family, and therefore you don't have to assign a minor to watch over me and report it back to you."

Her last rejoinder caught Kiyoshi by surprise, but his facial muscles didn't betray him, he remained unfazed. _How did she find out? Did Itachi fail his mission?_

As though Erika could read her father's mind, she added, "If I didn't have the Byakugan, I wouldn't have realized it, though."

She could lie to anyone but her only parent. Despite Kiyoshi's continual lack of presence at home, he had known her for so many years. He was still the one who raised her after all. And if he were to blame anyone for whom Erika had grown up to be, he wouldn't put the blame on anyone but himself.

If truth be told, his original intention to command Itachi to keep track of Erika was to protect her. He was in no doubt that Erika would do her job thoroughly as a branch member of the Hyūga clan to dedicate even her life to the main family.

As a father with a competent authority, he just prevented the worst-case scenario from happening.

* * *

The next day, Kiyoshi asked Itachi to meet him in his office. Itachi had been speculating about what his commander had to convey if it wasn't referring to Erika and how he had been caught (or how he foolishly took off his mask by reason of guilty conscience), he had no idea what it was about.

As he arrived at the commander's office, Kiyoshi was half seated on his desk, whereas the chair behind the desk was unoccupied. Itachi wasn't sure whether he had made a crucial mistake to the point Kiyoshi seemed to be prepared for reprimanding him like there was no tomorrow or the ANBU commander simply preferred to sit on his desk than on the chair.

Itachi courteously bowed his head to his commander just to ease up the tension, causing Kiyoshi to raise his eyebrows confusedly, "No need to become so tensed up." He coughed before he went on, "Have you met Erika before you enlisted in ANBU, Itachi?"

"Yes, Sir," Itachi admitted. "We were classmates for a short time."

"Is that so? Isn't my daughter 2 years older from you, Itachi?" Kiyoshi suddenly took an interest in Itachi – no wonder his competence allowed him to join the ANBU at such a young age, the boy was indeed brilliant. "How old were you when you graduated from the Academy?"

"I believe that," the boy that Kiyoshi unexpectedly had a high opinion of regardless of his young age nodded modestly. "I was 7 when I completed the Academy."

 _That quite makes sense now._ Kiyoshi thought to himself. Erika was 9 years old when she passed her Genin exams as well. And Itachi just revealed that they were in the same class before.

At first, Kiyoshi was the one who expressed disapproval of a minor joining up with the ANBU. It wasn't like he underestimated Itachi's capability—no, the boy had shown him beyond doubt that he was undeniably qualified for the position by passing the entrance exam with flying colors. Kiyoshi was just of opinion that Konoha and the other 4 great nations had managed to maintain their harmonious relationships, and the Leaf no longer needed to involve the younger generation to do the dirty work. What was Fugaku thinking when he signed his eldest son up for the ANBU?

"Do you know why I summoned you to my office, Itachi?"

"Yes, Sir," the boy answered, "My apologies, I won't make such a mistake again."

"I can understand that," a fatherly smile spread out Kiyoshi's lips, "But make sure to set your task as an ANBU and your personal life apart next time."

"I will," Itachi lowered his head, "Once again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

* * *

Itachi didn't have the faintest idea whether he had gotten better at hiding himself away or Erika had been letting her guard down recently. For certain, he committed to himself that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice—seeing that his commander's caution had been some kind of a slap in the face, which he preferred not to recall.

The more he thought of it, Kiyoshi wouldn't have discovered that he circumstantially failed his first mission, had Erika not informed him. If he were to put himself in Erika's shoes, he wouldn't be very welcome to come across someone invading his privacy. Especially when that someone was none other than an _acquaintance_. However, Itachi was left with no option but to conduct the inappropriately named 'mission' his commander had entrusted him with. To be quite honest, he also had been wondering why his father, Fugaku, felt inclined in enlisting him in ANBU so desperately. In the beginning, he thought he would end up as a member of the military police force like his father. Seemingly, Fugaku had already had something up his sleeve.

It took Itachi less than a week to learn Erika's daily schedule by heart. In his humble opinion, her everyday to-do list was unpredictably monotonous—she visited the Hyūga's main residence almost every day. When she did not, she would customarily carry out C-rank or lower rank missions independently. But he had no right to say so since his day-to-day hustle and bustle was more unvaried, compared to hers.

This very day was surprisingly an exception. The commander's only daughter had brought Itachi to a forest, which was the boundary between Konohagakure and Kusagakure. Erika didn't look like she was on a mission; she came across like she was actually waiting for someone. But why the woods of all places?

What made Itachi so sure that Erika was expecting someone? Just when she got in the middle of the forest, she suspiciously whistled for the mockingbirds that were perching on the branches, and the crowds of mockingbirds echoed her signal before long.

She waited and waited, but nobody showed up. The second time she tried to give another sign, _someone_ eventually came.

Itachi had to activate his Sharingan to identify the distrustful woman Erika was meeting up with. Her features somehow looked familiar to him, like he had seen her somewhere before. Yet he wasn't one hundred percent positive. _Where is it?_ His crimson orbs opened out as he came to a sudden realization. No wonder he felt like her face was rather familiar—her face was printed in the Bingo Book! Her name was Senju Sakuya, an ANBU medic turned missing-nin. _What is her ulterior motive?_

"Erika…" Sakuya called. Before she got even closer to Erika, Itachi jumped out of his hiding place and stood between the two without a second thought.

"Uchiha!" Exclaimed Erika in surprise, "What are you doing here? Why are you still following me?"

"I shall ask you the same, Erika-san," Itachi answered, "What are you doing in the middle of the woods on your own?"

"Is he a friend of yours, Erika?" The missing-nin whom Itachi intended to keep Erika away from remained calm and flashed a genuine smile at him.

At this close distance, Itachi had just realized that Sakuya bear a strong resemblance to Erika, making him question whether they were related by blood or not. Except that Erika gave the impression of being more ungenerous when it came to putting on a smile. Still, he had not relaxed his vigilance. The glaring, red-blood eyes flickered under the weasel-styled mask; even so, the auburn-haired woman didn't budge an inch.

"You neither deny that nor acknowledge him," assumed the former ANBU. "But since you two have at the very least memorized each other's names, I'll take that as a 'yes, you're indeed friends'."

"Keep your nose out of my business, Uchiha!" Warned Erika, "Or else, I'll tell my father that you broke the general rule of ANBU last time."

"I never taught you to threaten your friends, Erika."

"But Okaa-san!"

Okaa-san, she said. What a surprise. What a _surprising_ plot twist. The woman who stood only a meter away from him could have been his superior if she hadn't become disloyal to the village. Even though her strong resemblance to Erika had given him every indication that there might be a blood tie between the two ladies—how incautious of him to disregard that. Not to mention that Sakuya was also Kiyoshi's wife, _his_ commander's wife.

Behind his mask, Itachi wore a perplexed expression. For all that he initially found his mask perturbing, and had gotten used to putting it on at long last, he had to thank his weasel-styled mask because it had saved him from similar circumstances like this.

"You haven't informed him about me, have you?" Erika's mother sighed, "Do you feel ashamed of me, by any chance?"

"No, of course not!" Erika denied, "I – I didn't know he is coming along."

"I see," Sakuya smiled wryly, "No wonder you haven't told me you're bringing a friend along."

"Actually, he's Otou-san's subordinate."

"Really?" Sakuya turned to Itachi as she stared in awe, "How old are you? To be in the village's assassination and tactical squad of repute at a very young age."

"Otou-san ordered him to make sure I carry out my responsibility as a branch house member."

"He did?"

Erika nodded confidently.

"I think you misunderstood how your father shows his affection," Commented her mother. "Instead of making sure you actually do your duty, I think he charged him with protecting you, Erika."

"How did you know? How can you be certain of it? Did you ask him personally?"

"I just knew because," Sakuya broke into a smile as she paused, "I'm a parent, too. Along with your father."

Itachi was told not to reveal his emotion when he was undertaking a mission. Be that as it may, he still found it slightly difficult not to involve his moral sense. Even with the vast amount of Ryō the Hokage had offered to, he was never obsessed with the reward, to begin with, that being so, his intuition took his mind over on numeral occasions.

"It's getting dark," the 30-something woman reminded, "You two should head back home."

"How can I meet you again, Okaa-san?" Erika inquired, expressing her obvious disappointment.

"I'll reach out to you," Sakuya squeezed Erika's little shoulder gently; her hazel eyes were gazing at her daughter sadly. For a moment, she looked toward Itachi thankfully before she turned her gaze to Erika again. It took her hand longer to let go of her grip on Erika's shoulder prior to saying her farewells, "Take care."

Erika didn't respond, having said that, she looked like she was holding back her tears.

* * *

The return trip had been awkwardly quiet, and neither of Itachi nor Erika bothered to break the ice. They leaped from one branch to another branch as fast as their legs could carry, with Erika leading the way and Itachi coming behind. Itachi decided not to follow her undercover this time, seeing that he was caught again, for the second time. How amateurish of him. His mind was in the anticipation of how he would explain to Kiyoshi that he had made the same mistake twice and even mistaken his wife for another missing-nin. Come to think of it, would the commander pull a few strings not to get his missing-nin wife killed?

Itachi caught up with Erika as he realized she had abruptly stopped his move. "What's wrong?" Inquired him just when he stood next to her.

"Why did my father give this kind of task to you?"

He knew Erika would ask him sooner or later. "Because your father had doubts about my competence, that's why he entrusted me with this duty, which he considered trouble-free, as my first mission."

Erika gave the appearance of being disheartened—half startled, but she pretended not to, causing Itachi to secretly wish he could take back what he had said.

"I have a proposal," she suggested. "What about you stop trailing behind me? I'll pretend that you haven't committed an error. I won't tell my father about what happened today and everything we've arranged if you agree with me. I'll stay away from danger so that you won't have to come out of nowhere like you did previously. You can also speak anything of me to my father. You can even make a false report that I haven't been doing my responsibility—it's up to you. I only ask you two things in return. Stop following me and don't tell my father about my meeting with my mother earlier."

Itachi would only be lying if he said the offer was not tempting. He had been quite weary with this long-term mission and conjecturing how much longer Kiyoshi would give him a more challenging mission than his first. If he were to play along with Erika's scheme, he could catch up on his family at home. He missed his family. Ever since he joined the ANBU, he rarely spent his time at home, only came back to rest his body for a bit, and then he had to wake up with the chickens the next morning. Even Erika had assured him that the commander wouldn't know, so would his father. She also guaranteed he wouldn't lose his job, getting promoted even. All he had to do was to renounce what he had been ordered to.

Hyūga Erika had made Uchiha Itachi break another rule.

* * *

Author's note: i know i updated it behind schedule and my previous readers may have forgotten that this story exists. I'm sorry for that! i'd been in a writer's block for a while, that's why i kept procrastinating. Ya know, i was supposed to write this chapter right after i finished my midterm exams but i kept procrastinating and then, bam, finals are coming. But who cares about finals these days anyway haha

Itachi is kind of perfect in my eyes. And then, i thought to myself "why don't make him imperfect here?" he also makes mistakes like everybody else. but trust me, i'll keep him in character, he'll still be as perfect as Kishimoto-sensei portrayed him~

Also, for Erika's background, i've always wanted to create a senju oc. But this oc has to have the byakugan for a reason (which will be implicitly revealed later) so i hooked up a branch member hyuuga anbu with a missing-nin senju instead(?) i just hope Erika won't end up as your typical mary sue, tho. I'd still like to torture her in the future haha

Don't forget to leave a review :) you're free to vent too if you want, imma good listener lol jk


	3. The Hidden Message

**Chapter Three** : The Hidden Message

Erika usually met up with her mother, Sakuya twice or thrice a month. Her mother even promised that she would always be present when Erika needed her and all she had to do was whistle for the mockingbirds. Circumstantially, the mockingbirds had been the only intermediary she could trust in, seeing that her rendezvous with Sakuya was repeatedly undisclosed. Senju Sakuya was infamous for the unforgivable crime she had committed in the past, which was like an open secret to the Shinobi world. Erika obviously knew about how morally wrong her mother had done, but she neither despised nor was afraid of her mother's being. Not in the slightest. She slowly felt uncertain about the truth everyone had been telling the world and only believed what she wanted to believe.

She was truly a coward who feared to admit that.

One unusual day, Sakuya didn't show up. She would normally be running late as per usual, therefore Erika patiently waited. She waited and waited, but no one did come. Frustratingly, she let out an even higher-pitched whistle and the mockingbirds reverberated. Still, she got no response. Much to Erika's surprise, she wasn't mad that Sakuya had broken her promise. She was likely to be worried. _What happened to Okaa-san? Is she okay? Where is she here and now?_ The questions remained unanswered.

It wasn't the one and only time Sakuya had stood Erika up. The next meeting and the meeting after that, Sakuya still didn't turn up just when Erika had given a clear sign to the mockingbirds. She was only lying to herself if she said it didn't make her anxious because it really did. Sakuya was no ordinary housewife Erika wished she could trade with; her mother was a missing-nin whose head was valued a large amount of Ryō, meaning she could be killed at any given moment.

Be that as it may, ending the life of Senju Sakuya wasn't as easy as it sounded. Fortunately, she was the sole remaining Senju who inherited the capability of the first Hokage to use Mokuton. To Sakuya's advantage, she was also good at hiding herself away, thus Erika could be less concerned about the chances of Sakuya being perished. If Erika were to look on the bright side, her mother was as likely as not to still be alive and kicking. For all that, her whereabouts were as yet unknown.

"What a lovely day, don't you agree?"

This very day had been Erika's fifth attempt at summoning her mother. If truth be told, she was slightly appreciative when she found out that someone would actually show up. Nonetheless, she didn't expect the man who greeted her earlier just now. Although she had almost mistaken him for a suspicious woman, thanks to his long, jet-black hair.

Erika didn't reply right away. For a really short moment the silence persisted in, she could barely hear the sound of a hissing snake. "Not exactly," Erika returned casually. "Are you just here passing by or…?"

The long-haired man laughed dryly, "Are you calling for someone, young lady?"

"I will answer your question if you answer mine first."

"How unmannerly of you. I can clearly see the resemblance to… someone I know, for sure," he chuckled. The longer he did so, the more it became obnoxious. "I'm not sure of who you are indeed calling for, but the way you did so—which is rather _ancient_ , in my humble opinion and garnering more attention than it deserves, actually. And to answer your previous question, no, I came because you've given the wrong signal."

"Oh, really?" Erika raised her eyebrows, didn't buy a single word he told. "Do you live in the woods? Sorry for disturbing the neighborhood then."

"Actually, my homestead is located not far from here. You can come to my place of residence to kill the time while waiting for that _someone_."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Erika turned down the invitation straightforwardly. Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned, "First, you criticized my manner, then talked about how ancient my method of summoning someone was, and now you're inviting me to pay a little visit to your house. How unsuspicious."

"I will never go back to my habitation without doing someone a favor, that's against my sense of purpose." The pale-skinned man cracked a genuinely dishonest-looking smile. "Who is this someone you're looking for? I know almost everyone who resides in the Leaves."

"What makes you so sure that I'm from Konoha? I don't even bring my forehead protector along."

"Did I make a wrong assumption? Since this forest is the frontier between Konohagakure and Kusagakure. You're from the Hidden Grass then?"

"That was a narrow assumption," Erika commented. _Just because this forest is indeed the frontier between Konoha and Kusa, doesn't mean you can exclude the possibilities of me coming from another village._ "But you're correct, I came from the Leaves."

"So… Who is this someone you're trying to find? Maybe I can erase the doubts you have about me by giving you some useful information." The golden-eyed man stuck out his long tongue, which immediately gave Erika the creeps.

"Her name is Senju Sakuya, does it ring any bells?"

"Of course, who doesn't dread her? She is recently famous for the mass murder she carried out to her own flesh and blood."

The memory of the wholesale slaughter was the last thing Erika ever wished to recall. She still couldn't believe an exuberant woman like her mother would have been responsible for such a thing. Every time the nightmarish memory called to her mind, Erika would suddenly be drowning in self-pity, and sometimes she couldn't even distinguish what was real or not.

The incident felt like it had just happened yesterday; on the contrary, the horrendous occurrence took place exactly a year ago. Erika wasn't certain of the complete circumstance because the last time she dared to mention her mother to Kiyoshi, her father would just switch the topic as though he was avoiding it. She tried to understand that Kiyoshi was in so much pain as she was and telling his only daughter the truth wouldn't guarantee him to be less hurting. But what Erika had had in mind was _maybe_ they could at least share the pain together. Yet Kiyoshi was the one who failed to understand that.

Interclan marriage had never been held in high regard, especially for those who were expected to be the next leader of their respective clans. Sakuya would've become heiress to the Senju Clan, while Kiyoshi was just a branch member of the Hyūga Clan. Maybe things wouldn't have become the same if he were born into the main family. Still, Erika didn't regret that her father was a part of the branch family. If her mother could give up her status as the next in line for her father, why could Erika not care for him?

Having said that, things didn't go smoothly even though Sakuya had left everything behind. There was a price she had to pay for choosing love over the clan. Ever since she decided to wed Kiyoshi, she was never on good terms with either of her relatives. Even so, Sakuya didn't let it show. At least, not to Erika.

Everything happened too fast before Erika knew it. She still couldn't accept the rude awakening that her admirable mother had slaughtered her kin in one night. In spite of the fact that Sakuya didn't wipe out the whole Senju Clan, but the majority of them were involved, including her own father, uncles, and cousins. And by the next morning, Sakuya had departed from the village.

"Do you fear her that much?" The suspicious man's inquiry brought Erika round. "You've been staring into space for approximately… 1 minute and a half."

"I want to kill her," declared Erika all of a sudden. "I want her dead!"

The announcement seemingly had caught the black-haired man in surprise, "Is that so?" An intrigued smirk spread out his lips, "Why did you bother to make an appointment with Sakuya-san first if you're willing to kill her?"

 _Shoot._ Erika hadn't thought far beyond about it. To tell you the truth, she only lied to cover up the fact that she had been meeting up with her missing-nin mother secretly.

"Who said I've made an appointment with her in the first place? I was luring her in with the help of the mockingbirds!"

"Interesting. I'll help you out." He turned around, "I know a better way to lure her in."

In next to no time, a white snake had bitten her arm quickly yet painlessly and shortly after that, she went out like a light.

* * *

"Orochimaru, you vile snake!" As Erika regained consciousness, Sakuya's blaring voice was the only thing she could perceive from afar. She was seated on a wooden chair helplessly with her hands tied to the chair. To make matters worse, she didn't carry any weapons along with her. Though her eyes were covered with a blindfold or something, weirdly enough, she couldn't activate her Byakugan to see through the blindfold. That vile snake must have had cast a strong jutsu on her to the point there wasn't anything she could really do about it.

"Where is she? Where do you hide my daughter?!"

"Okaa-san!" Erika called at the top of her voice.

"Erika!" It took Sakuya a little while to get there, "There you are!" the older woman exclaimed.

She inched toward her daughter as quickly as possible to let her loose, "Thank God you're—oh, no! This… can't be."

"What happened to me, Okaa-san?"

The tears suddenly streamed down Sakuya's face as she saw a pair of Byakugan eyes in a jar. _How dare he!_ Her hand was clenched into a fist. Why and for what reasons Orochimaru might have, Sakuya didn't care. She wouldn't care. What he had done was truly unforgivable, and she would make sure he had to pay for it.

"You're all right…" Sakuya wiped her tears off. "I'm sorry. Because of me, things like this happen."

A familiar chuckle entered the room, "You should really see Sakuya-san's face."

Sakuya glared at the man who had just arrived, "Orochimaru!"

"Oh, I forgot that I took your beautiful eyes out."

"Shut your damn mouth!" Yelled Sakuya.

"Will you still be able to kill her without your Byakugan, Erika?" Orochimaru threw a glance at the blind girl, "If only you could also use Mokuton."

"Don't make me kill you."

"Like how you killed your family? Did you make threats to them first before ending their lives?" Intimidated Orochimaru.

Sakuya stood still, at a loss for words.

"Seems like everyone in the village wants you dead," Orochimaru continued, "Including your own daughter there."

"So, you think the village doesn't want you dead as well?" Without weaving a sign, a thick log appeared from the floor, blending flexibly so that it surrounded Orochimaru's body firmly. "Between you and I, I wonder who they want to die first."

Orochimaru's expression became more painful to watch just as Sakuya closed her hand tighter into a ball. When her nails dug into her palm, Orochimaru's body burst apart and transformed into a number of tiny white snakes that slithered away loosely from the surrounding log.

"Okaa-san?" called Erika. "Are you still… there? What happened just now?"

Sakuya gasped, getting out of breath. "Yes, I'm here!" Picking up the jar at her elbow, she began, "First, let's take your eyes back, shall we?"

"Erika, do you trust me?"

Erika only nodded quietly, her lips curved into a thin smile.

"It won't be long, I promise. Just hang on." Assured Sakuya.

In the process of transplanting Erika's eyes back, neither of both bothered to utter a single word. For Erika, she simply didn't want to distract her mother's concentration while performing surgery, but for Sakuya, she had nothing to say. She felt terribly sorry for her daughter. _Erika doesn't deserve this…_

"Okaa-san,"

"I'm almost done."

"I lied to that man," Erika confessed. "I don't want him to know that we still keep in touch from time to time. I didn't have the intention to—"

"I know." The older woman forced a smile, "Do you… hate Okaa-san?"

"Of course not!" The 13-year-old girl protested.

A bittersweet laugh floated on air, "Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Even if you hate me, Erika, I will always love you," Sakuya unexpectedly declared. "Looks like you're good now!"

Erika opened her eyes without hurrying, and she was very thankful that she was still able to see again.

"Try to activate your Byakugan and look through this wall."

Without further ado, Erika did as her mother said and could finally heave a sigh of relief to find out her Byakugan was also working fine. All of a sudden, she came to realize that she couldn't bring her mother backhand in hand like how every protagonist did after surviving a long day. Erika was so certain that Sakuya would have to be gone again and stand her up by the next meeting they held.

"Okaa-san, can I come along?"

Sakuya paused, taken by surprise, "It's never safe to travel with me."

"We've got each other's back!" Erika argued.

"Your father can protect you better than I can."

"I don't need anyone to protect me! How can I prove you that I also can protect myself?" The younger girl stared into her mother's hazel eyes, conveying her seriousness.

Sakuya paused for a while. She didn't seem like she would approve of Erika coming along at any moment, but she just didn't have the courage to say no.

"Hmm, by being able to light a campfire up first?" Joked Sakuya in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Erika eventually took that as a no. Faking a smile, she said, "Oh, please, you also can't do that! Katon has never been meant for any Senju, anyway."

In her defense, Sakuya came out with, "Yup, even though a big fire can burn a house down, a small fire can warm you up." The auburn-haired woman reached for her pouch, "Speaking of which, here's a little gift for you."

"What's this, Okaa-san?" Erika looked confusedly at the tiny box.

"Matches," explained Sakuya. "To light the fireplace at home. Didn't you say the kotatsu at home is not working?"

"Oh, you only got me this for Christmas?"

"Too bad a missing-nin can't afford a new kotatsu," Sakuya confirmed, "And these are handmade! With love."

Erika let out a light laugh, causing Sakuya to wonder if she could hear her laugh again after this.

"Okaa-san,"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

* * *

Erika never saw her mother since then. She tried searching for Sakuya's whereabouts everywhere but she still couldn't find her. Every day she came to the forest where she and her mother used to arrange secret meetings in, living in hopes of someday Sakuya would be tired of concealing herself and finally show up. At long last, Erika had lost her hopes in meeting her mother again. By the irony of fate, before she succeeded in making Sakuya tired of lying low, she had gotten tired of looking for her first.

The matches were the last gift she would ever get from her mother, and Erika carried those matches along everywhere. When she was babysitting Hanabi as per usual, she would usually put the matches out of Hanabi's sight and when the younger Hyūga wasn't around, Erika would either unconsciously be spacing out or examining the last gift she got from Sakuya.

The more she studied the matches, the more they became strange. Sakuya once made fun of her lack of ability to use Katon, for that reason her mother let her have these matches, which Sakuya admitted to being handmade with love. But it turned out that she couldn't set the matches burning. Scratch that—the matches couldn't be burned.

When Erika had made sure that she was the only one in the room, she saw through the matches with her Byakugan. For all that, she learned nothing new. She felt it strange that her Byakugan failed to discover any peculiarities when she was one hundred certain that there might be a hidden message in the matches Sakuya handed her.

A piece of advice was all Erika needed at this moment in time. But whom she could ask from? Hanabi? Certainly not. She doubted Hanabi even knew what matches were, and if she were to show what matches looked like, she feared that Hanabi would start playing with them as though they were her new toys. Kiyoshi? To be unfairly honest, he was the last person Erika ever wished to find out. Still, it aroused her curiosity if the ANBU commander were to learn that his daughter and his missing-nin wife had been meeting up behind his back.

What about Uchiha Itachi? Erika had almost forgotten that Itachi was supposed to watch over whatever she was doing even now. But was he still creeping up on her? Oh, didn't she make a foolish agreement with him before that he didn't need to carry out her father's orders because she would pretend that he actually obeyed him? Even so, Erika had never heard of Itachi saying yes to her request. But maybe he had said yes in his heart of hearts.

 _Geez! Why am I suddenly thinking of that boy right now?_ What she meant was she had to figure out the clue Sakuya left her with, not occupying her mind with an irrelevant thought of Itachi.

Come to think of it, Erika began to wonder why she found Itachi exasperating when he had done nothing wrong to her in the first place. Maybe because the blood of a Senju flowed within her and he was unquestionably an Uchiha to all appearances. The history had somehow produced evidence that they couldn't get along well.

Out of the blue, Erika recalled a conversation she had once with her mother regarding the incompatibility of the Uchiha and the Senju.

" _Okaa-san! Sensei taught us history today at the Academy. He said that the Uchiha were hostile to the Senju in the past, so can we still make friends with any Uchiha now?"_

 _Sakuya chuckled, "By all means! We can make friends with anyone we want. The history is in the past after all."_

" _Since you're friends with everybody in this village, do you have an Uchiha friend? I've never seen you talked to any Uchiha before."_

" _Of course, I have. We just don't talk in public. That's why you've never met her."_

" _Oh, you meet her secretly then?"_

" _Um, not that we meet up in secret, but we exchange hidden messages once in a while. For me, I carve very small handwriting on matches that can only be read by a Sharingan user."_

" _That's so unfair, Okaa-san! You can use Mokuton so easily, how do I write my own hidden message if I can't use Mokuton like you?"_

 _Sakuya ruffled her daughter's auburn hair affectionately, "You'll figure out your very own way soon."_

… _I carve very small handwriting on matches that can only be read by a Sharingan user._

Sakuya still mistook Itachi for a friend of Erika, whereas Itachi had the Sharingan.

 _Shoot._ Only Itachi could interpret her mother's hidden message for her.

* * *

Author's note: hello guys, i'm back! actually, i'm still in the middle of struggling for my finals but i missed erika a little bit too much haha tho i feel like this chapter might be rather confusing (many things happened in one go) and boring cuz there was no itachi! ok, i promise the next chapter will be all about itachi (and maybe a little bit of erika) assume that i just wanna introduce erika and her background to you guys~ i know it's late but merry christmas and happy new year!


	4. Step into My Shoes

**Chapter Four:** Step into My Shoes

If you ever wondered where Itachi was, there he is. Almost three weeks had passed by since the last time he carried out the commander's order to watch over his daughter and got caught in the act by the end of the day. To all intents and purposes, Erika had also made him an offer he couldn't refuse at first—be that as it may; Itachi was able to turn down her request because he merely felt that he had to follow his morals at best and coming to an agreement with Erika meant to go against the original task he had been assigned to.

As per usual, Itachi was about to leave for the Hyūga's Main Residence, and much to his surprise, he was suddenly asked to come to the ANBU Headquarters by the commander.

He would only be lying to himself if he said he was neither confused nor agitated when he was called for all of a sudden. Perhaps Erika could've informed on her father how Itachi had done a poor job yesterday and asked him to be discharged promptly. But why would Erika do such things? Hadn't she assumed that they'd reached an accord not to tell tales about each other?

With Itachi being the first to break the contract, he had to be prepared for when Erika would squeal any minute now. _Wait a minute_. Since when did he agree with her in the first place?

As he opened the door to the commander's office, Kiyoshi who requested his presence wasn't the only one present in the room. The other guest was also wearing the ANBU uniform and a mask resembling a cat's face to cover his face. He didn't turn around at the time Itachi opened the door, barely showing any reaction to the arriving guest.

"Without beating around the bush, Itachi, this is Tenzō. And Tenzō, this is the boy I told you who can cover for Kakashi," Kiyoshi coughed as he began. "From today onward, the two of you will form a temporary team to infiltrate the Hidden Rain. Since this might be your first official mission, Itachi, make sure you do well because your performance during this mission will determine whether you'll be able to conduct this kind of operation in due course or not. Any questions?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Itachi glanced at the man named Tenzō. As far as he could see, the brown-haired man didn't seem to want to ask anything, Itachi raised his arm halfway up, "Umm, about the details—"

"Tenzō will explain further on my behalf," Kiyoshi cut him off, "If there isn't any, you two may dismiss."

* * *

The awkward silence filled the atmosphere and neither Itachi nor Tenzō took the initiative to break the ice. Having said that, Itachi had a lot of questions he'd been asking to himself and he would only be tormenting himself slowly but surely if he did nothing but persistently ignored his curiosity. After a while, Itachi opened his mouth, "To be specific, what is this mission all about and how do we accomplish it?"

"Finally, you spoke," revealed Tenzō, "I was waiting for you to ask me first."

"Never mind. So our mission is to infiltrate Amegakure, as the commander has told us earlier. After we get there, we have to disguise ourselves as tourists and make sure to conceal our identities as Shinobi. Thus, we have to be extra careful and act normally so that we won't fall under anyone's suspicion." Explained the older ANBU; "Rookies won't usually be given an infiltration mission in the beginning of their ANBU days, the commander must have every confidence in you."

Becoming a member of ANBU at the age of 11 really brought Itachi's name to light. At the same time, he was spoken highly of his outstanding competence and looked down on his young age.

"This mission is in fact, not my actual first mission." Announced Itachi.

"What kind of missions you've accomplished so far?"

"I've barely completed any," the younger boy admitted. "My first mission is to watch over the commander's daughter and I got caught red-handed twice already."

For a split second, Tenzō was lost for words. He might have taken back his compliment to Itachi already. _What was the commander thinking really?_ This 11-year-old boy couldn't even babysit an older girl than he was, and had been given more difficult responsibility to take. For all that, he couldn't say it to the younger ANBU's face.

"But if you do well in this mission, you won't have to look after the commander's daughter again."

 _Indeed._ Fugaku didn't enroll Itachi in ANBU to become Erika's guardian.

"That being the case, let's pull off this mission and go home as soon as possible!"

Behind his mask, Itachi cracked a smile, "We departed from Konoha just now and you already wish to go back, Tenzō-senpai."

"Tenzō is all right." The cat-masked ANBU corrected.

"Tenzō-san."

The inappropriately named infiltration took longer than Tenzō had expected it to last. But if truth be told, it didn't go through like clockwork as Tenzō had convinced Itachi as well. Despite that, the two ANBU managed to complete it, not to mention to also bring all the information Konoha required.

From the high-risk mission he had accomplished, Itachi had definitely learned quite a few new things. Other than how to survive days and nights in prison without eating or drinking, also a memorable near-death experience that he would be unlikely to tell a soul about, he just discovered the impressive yet mysterious Mokuton ability that Tenzō possessed. He admitted that it was quite fascinating to watch a Mokuton user in action for the first time, yet from whom that ability was passed down suddenly called into question. Unless Tenzō turned out to be a Senju, perhaps it all would make sense at some point. But if Itachi's memory served him correctly, the only Senju who was capable of using Mokuton was Senju Sakuya, Erika's mother.

Come to think of it, how had Erika been doing without Itachi? _Does she still arrange a secret meeting with her mother once in a while?_ Why did he bother?

Because Itachi felt like he still had a responsibility he had to take.

"If you didn't make it in time, I would've announced your death to your family." Greeted Kiyoshi as the two of his subordinates came home alive and well.

Itachi could've sworn if Tenzō hadn't informed him about their superiors and his unsurprising dark humor, he would assume that Kiyoshi had the original intention to expose his men to danger all the time.

"Kidding of course." Continued Kiyoshi.

"Don't forget to laugh after telling a joke, Sir." Reminded Tenzō.

"Laughing at your own joke makes you look failed in delivering it," explained the ANBU commander. "In all seriousness, I appreciate the hard work both of you have done to be able to complete this mission successfully. In respect to that, I'm giving you 3 days off as my gratitude."

"…you're not joking anymore, aren't you, Sir?"

"You never laugh when I'm seriously telling a joke and you're questioning it when I'm one hundred percent serious. Do you want your holidays to get cut, Tenzō—"

"Oh, no! Please don't! I'll laugh at your jokes starting now. I'll be the first to laugh!" Guaranteed the Mokuton user.

"All right, all right," the Hyūga ANBU nodded to himself, "Also, don't tell anyone that you've taken days off. They might be slacking off on purpose if they find out."

"Don't worry, we'll be quiet about it." Tenzō slapped Itachi's shoulder lightly, "Won't we?"

"We will," Itachi assured as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you very much, Sir."

* * *

During his break, Sasuke kept Itachi company most of the time. Even when the night fell, Sasuke would snuggle down with his beloved brother in the futon bed where he should be sleeping on his own. His younger brother must've yearned him so much to the point he really couldn't take his eyes off of his brother just for a little while. The only time when he didn't have to go hand in hand with Sasuke was when the little Uchiha had to go to school (what's more, Itachi still had to walk Sasuke to the Academy and pick him up after).

A short time after Itachi had made sure that Sasuke arrived at the Academy safely, he bumped into Shisui, his cousin on his way back home.

"Itachi! There you are!" The older Uchiha ran over to his cousin as he caught sight of him.

"Did something happen, Shisui?" Ask Itachi, half worried.

All of a sudden, Shisui's arm wrapped around Itachi's shoulders and then, whispered closely, "You've been fooling around too much, haven't you?"

 _Shoot._ Shisui just caught the younger Uchiha by surprise. Immediately, Itachi broke off from Shisui's grip. "What do you mean?"

"Whoa, hold on. Did I surprise you? Yes, I did." When Shisui started speaking nonsense, no one could really stop him. "Aren't you supposed to occupy yourself with ANBU's duties? Why are you here in the first place?"

"I suppose the commander finally had mercy on me for accomplishing a 2-week long mission abroad and I'm allowed to take 3 days off, thankfully." Clarified Itachi, "And here I am, living my life to the fullest."

"Living your life to the fullest, huh? That's _so_ like you."

"Shisui, if you're late again to work, don't point the finger at me in front of my father."

"And now that you mention it! I have something important to discuss with," Shisui suddenly changed the subject, "So I met this cute girl at the Compound—"

"Don't put the blame on this cute girl you're talking about too, Shisui. She has no clue—"

"I'm not done yet!" Warned Shisui, "What I can't believe is, this girl is still looking for you."

To tell you the truth, Itachi really had no idea which girl Shisui was talking about. Itachi had never taken the initiative to make a friend when he was in the middle of completing his missions. He always made certain of his performance coming first and avoided communicating with his co-workers unless necessary. Even so, it didn't mean that he didn't want to get to know whom he had been working with. If building the relationship with his coworkers could gain the teamwork strength, he wouldn't think twice about making friends. Itachi leaped to conclusions that she wasn't anyone he met in the ANBU Headquarters or on missions, seeing that he only worked with Tenzō alone and he doubted he could call the commander his friend as well. So she might be someone he met at the Academy.

Izumi was the only girl he could think of and he also had doubts about Shisui not knowing her. His cousin had even confessed his love to Izumi and got rejected—Shisui wouldn't have wished to acknowledge her, would he? Oh, Itachi shouldn't have let it slip here but oh well, Shisui could have forgotten it by now. The other name that rang any bells was Shinko, his former teammate turned waitress. But it couldn't be her since she had her own brand new life now, why would she try to find him at the outset?

"Which… girl?"

"You've only entered the ANBU yet girls are already chasing after you," teased Shisui. "She has shoulder-length auburn hair, a fair complexion, her eyes are… hazel, I think, and she's as tall as you."

Hyūga Erika matched the description to a T. But the question is why was she searching for Itachi? What job she couldn't do by herself but he could? He came to wonder.

"I have to go." Was all Itachi said before he rushed off.

"Hey, are you going to leave without telling me about—"

"…this girl."

* * *

Itachi wasn't sure whether Shisui was only telling an untruth to him or he had kept Erika waiting for much longer than she should, but she was nowhere to be found. If Shisui was indeed telling a lie, how could his portrayal be exactly the same as Erika appeared to be?

At the time Itachi arrived at the Uchiha Compound, he immediately looked high and low for Erika, still, he couldn't find her. Following that, he decided to visit the traditional café where Shinko was a waitress at to simply restore his energy.

"Welcome—oh, look who's here!" Greeted Shinko cheerfully.

The café was unusually empty today, which slightly boosted his mood. Itachi went straight to the counter to be facing his former teammate, "Shinko, were you looking for me?"

"Huh?" A puzzled expression was drawn all over the waitress' face. "Um, yeah, of course! I always look forward to when all my customers will come back again. Sit down, Mister and I'll serve you some Dango to make your day!"

Shinko was clearly not searching for him. Even a blind man could see that. How stubborn of him to still have second thoughts about whom was looking for him initially. Sure enough, it was Erika. But hey, looking on the bright side, he could enjoy his sweet dumplings alone, to say the least, and he would resume his search for Erika after he finished eating.

Unknowingly, Itachi had been staring into his cup of Ocha for a bit. _Where will Erika possibly go?_ If Erika knew him well, she would've guessed that Itachi was at his most-liked traditional café, hanging around. Neither time nor energy would be wasted. Unfortunately, Erika knew nothing about Itachi, and that's the problem.

To some extent, Itachi was quite certain that Erika had also not been informed of his 2-week mission abroad he had gone through. Who knows she actually thought that Itachi got fired from his job by the reason of the lack of progress he made so far? Since she knew almost nothing about him, nothing is impossible in her case.

The next place Erika would be paying a visit here and now could be the ANBU HQ, his workplace. What made Itachi so sure? He had no idea. But in Erika's case, nothing is impossible.

* * *

Of all rooms at the ANBU HQ, Itachi didn't expect to run into Erika in the corridor from the commander's office. On top of that, he wouldn't have guessed he would find her this very minute.

"What are you doing here?"

Well, wasn't it supposed to be Itachi's line? Why was Erika saying that?

"I believe this is my workplace," Itachi answered. "How about you, Erika-san? What brought you here?"

"Since this is my father's workplace as well, I also have all the right to pay him a visit, no?"

Typical of Erika. Even so Itachi had only been observing her a month or so (to say nothing of getting caught in the act twice so far), he had gotten used to Erika's offensive remarks here and there, perhaps if she weren't to say anything something rude for a day, he would be mistaking her for somebody else.

"Have you found him?" Asked Itachi, faking it.

"Needless to say." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Is that so?" Itachi challenged, "I stopped by his office a minute ago to check up on him, but he didn't seem to be in his room. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Um," Erika's face went pale all of a sudden and she started stuttering, "Needless to say, I couldn't find him! And I'm trying to find him as yet."

"Do you want me to—"

"On my own."

Unconsciously, the corner of Itachi's mouth twitched upward, "Fine by me." The Uchiha assured, "Erika-san, are you sure you do not have anything to speak about with me?"

The auburn-haired girl who had passed Itachi by a meter away stopped in her tracks, " _W-what_ did you say?"

"I said, didn't you have anything to speak about with me?" Itachi repeated.

"W-what made you think so? Her already rosy cheeks flushed even more, "Whatever. I'm going home! Otou-san could be lazing around at home right now."

Immediately afterward, Erika fled from Itachi's sight. _What's wrong with her?_ At the moment Itachi turned around and was about to return home, the door to Kiyoshi's room was open, revealing the ANBU commander.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?" The Hyūga seemed to be taken by surprise, not expecting Itachi who was supposed to be on vacation at this moment in time. Kiyoshi glanced around before he continued, "I think I heard Erika's voice not too long ago…"

"When did the last time you come home, Sir?"

"A week or two, I suppose."

"Maybe you're just longing to see your daughter."

* * *

Even though Mikoto, Itachi's mother was concerned about her oldest son health and even instructed him to stay at home, regaining his strength instead of going to the limit to train. However, Itachi never liked to be in the same place for too long and laze around at home, he preferred to develop his skill in Shuriken Jutsu and even considered it a leisure activity.

It was almost time for Sasuke to be discharged from the Academy. Itachi still had approximately 15 minutes to continue throwing some Shuriken at once, but he opted to bring his training session to a close and headed off to the Academy to pick Sasuke up.

Personally, Itachi found waiting intolerable most of the time, therefore he didn't wish to make anyone bide their time for him as well. As he reached the Academy, he casually leaned his back against the tree and crossed his arms over his chest. Before long, the younger Uchiha had already gone out the building, grinning like a Cheshire cat just when he saw his older brother.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke ran to Itachi.

"Did you have fun at the Academy today, Sasuke?"

"Not really," the raven-haired boy complained. "Sensei had to teach us the same lesson as yesterday because everyone in my class hasn't mastered it yet."

"What lesson did the Sensei give?"

"Just some basic hand signs."

"Ah, since you've become quite proficient in releasing the great fireball now," Itachi complimented.

Sasuke's cheeks turned red, "But you've mastered Gokakyu no Jutsu when you were much younger than me, Nii-san!" Sasuke protested. "Anyway, let's train together! It's been a while."

Coincidentally or not, his onyx eyes met Erika's hazel eyes for a really short time before the auburn-haired girl threw her glance away. Why did it look as though Erika was actually creeping up on Itachi this time? Why did she have to be present at wherever Itachi went? That very minute, Itachi approached Erika who had been hiding her face in shame.

"We met again, Erika-san." Greeted the jet-black-haired boy.

"What are you doing here?" Erika repeated the same line, which was supposed to be Itachi's at the outset.

"Picking up my little brother," answered Itachi plainly. "And…"

Itachi had also noticed that Erika had been glancing around as if she was actually looking for someone to _help._ "Hinata-sama!" Somehow, she exclusively changed the way she conducted herself when any main members of the Hyūga were around the corner.

On the other hand, the little Hyūga girl looked expressly confused when Erika raised her hand and called her. "Onee-san? Where is Kō?"

"Kō-sama is on a mission right now, so he told me to go and get you in his place instead." Informed Erika.

"Ah, I see…" Hinata confirmed, disappointed. "L-let's head home, Onee-san. I still have to practice with Otou-sama."

Without bidding farewell, the two Hyūga ladies departed from the school playground and vanished into thin air.

"Nii-san!"

Itachi turned around, "I'm still here. Remember?" Reminded Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"If you're going to train with me, I think I'll forgive you."

On the Uchiha's way back home, Sasuke told everything he did at school today to his older brother. From all the girls in his class that never failed to give him a hard time almost every day to the troublemakers' routine that he actually thought ridiculously amusing. Though the younger Uchiha had asked his brother to train him, the older brother turned down the request by the reason of their mother had prepared a meal for them, and they would only make her worry if they didn't come back right away. For all that, Sasuke still persisted in Itachi teaching him, he even suggested practicing after dinner. But then Itachi reminded that Sasuke still had to do his homework, which disappointed him to some degree.

"Will you help me with my homework then?" Pleaded the raven-haired boy.

"Sure," Itachi agreed.

While the two Uchiha boys had arrived at their home, Sasuke hurriedly tossed off his shoes and enthusiastically entered the house. "Okaa-san, we're home!"

"Nii-san, why aren't you coming in?"

"I'm coming!"

The younger Uchiha shrugged off and went straight to the kitchen, leaving the older Uchiha behind.

"Come out, I know you've been following me." Itachi declared.

Little did Itachi know that he wasn't that horrible when it came to sneaking up on someone. Apparently, Erika tuned out to be way more terrible than he was. First of all, she was obviously lying to him previously, which confused him for a moment. Moreover, she didn't only lie one time but continually, which multiplied his certainty considerably.

Itachi cleverly noticed that Erika was up to something when he and Sasuke ran into the Hyūga heiress, Hinata on their return trip. Strangely enough, Hinata didn't go home together with Erika but a teenage boy. Itachi would have leaped to a conclusion that Hinata was kidnapped, but the distinctive features of average Hyūga the boy had prevented him from confronting the suspect. _I take it his name is Kō._ Itachi thought to himself. Wait. Shouldn't Hinata have left with Erika? Where was Erika?

"Very well," Itachi walked into the house, "I'm—"

"Okay, okay!" Erika finally showed her face. "Geez, I never thought stalking someone would be this difficult."

At least, she acknowledged that.

"Let me repeat myself, Erika-san," Itachi sighed. "Do you have something to speak about with me?"

For a moment, Erika remained silent.

"Y-yes—"

"Why aren't you coming in, Itachi—oh, you're having a friend over!" Mikoto suddenly turned up at the front door. "Why didn't you let her in?"

"Um, Okaa-san—"

Mikoto threw a fleeting glance at Erika, "Have you eaten yet? I cooked enough for 4 people."

"What about Otou-san?"

"He said he would come home late," Mikoto squeezed her son's and Erika's shoulders lightly, pushing them forward slightly. "Come on, you two!"

* * *

Author's note: phew it's been forever since i wrote this long! but i had lots of fun writing this chap. Erika's father has become my favourite oc here (sorry Erika) because of his sense of humour lol and almost everyone's made cameo in this chap. Never thought to include Izumi here but oh well she's fine. Even Kakashi's name was honourably mentioned here! Cant wait till he officially appears *spoiler* he's always been my favourite character in Naruto series along with Itachi. Tbh, im also glad Itachi and Erika became slightly closer here. We're almost there!


	5. Hand-me-down

**Chapter Five:** Hand-me-down

"Sasuke! What did I tell you not to begin eating your meal before everyone's present at the table?" Mikoto put her hands on her hips, staring angrily at her 6-year-old son who was engaged in chewing his food.

The youngest Uchiha narrowed his onyx eyes as he saw Erika, "You brought a guest?"

The mother of two heaved a sigh, "I have also taught you not to open your mouth while eating…" Mikoto's gaze softened as she turned to Erika, "I'm sorry, Erika-chan. Not that Sasuke's impolite, we seldom have a guest over, that's why."

It was indeed the first time Sasuke met Erika formally. Though for Erika, she had already had knowledge of Itachi having a younger brother, thanks to the still hunt she had done earlier today, which met with disaster at last and put her to shame as yet. For all that Sasuke had been informed that his father, Fugaku would come home later than usual, he wouldn't act _less_ antagonistically toward the new arrival guest either. He wouldn't stop glaring at Erika who was seated on Fugaku's everyday chair, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable not to look daggers back.

Occasionally, Mikoto who was well aware of the black look her youngest son had been giving to Itachi's _friend_ took the first step to ease up on the tension. "So, um, where did you guys meet?"

It felt like déjà vu. Erika realized she had asked one and the same question to her mother before. No wonder it gave every indication of being familiar at the outset. She was certain somehow every child wanted to know how their parents got to know each other and then decided to fall in love eventually. Seeing that Mikoto was the woman who gave birth to Itachi, why did the question just now sound like an interrogation between in-laws? _Never in your wildest dreams, Erika! You think too much._

"We were…" Erika took a stealthy look at Itachi, asking for help. "Classmates."

"But only for a short period of time." Itachi continued, not sure whether he received the signal or not. But as far as Erika could clearly see it, he did not.

Mikoto directed her attention from her plate, the corner of her rounded eyes crinkled. "Is that because you graduated too early?"

"We…" the Uchiha lady directly shifted her gaze toward Erika, "We were in the same class after we'd passed our Genin exams."

"Oh, sorry, Erika-chan. I thought you enrolled in the Academy in the same year as Itachi." Before long Mikoto giggled to herself nervously, a realization suddenly came into her. "Does that mean Erika-chan is older?"

"Um, yes?" Erika's face crinkled in bewilderment.

"Ah, I see." Mikoto nodded repeatedly. By any means, Erika had gotten the impression that Itachi's mother probably got the wrong idea about her being the same age (to make matters worse, _younger_ ) as Itachi because of the petite figure she had. However, she'd gotten used not to take it to heart, since what Mikoto had voiced was a quite popular opinion.

"Okaa-san, another bowl please!" Demanded Sasuke.

"Sure." The dark-haired woman smiled brighter than before just when someone, especially her family had an appetite for her cooking. "Does Erika-chan want to have more? What about you, Itachi?"

"But Okaa-san, I'm still hungry!" Exclaimed little Sasuke.

"Yes, I know, Sasuke…" Mikoto assured, "Just make sure not to eat Otou-san's portion."

Erika simply couldn't deny that Mikoto's home cooked meal was surely one of the best she had ever tasted, better than Natsu's even. Be that as it may, it was indeed her first time to pay a visit to a _friend_ 's (seriously, she didn't know what to address Itachi) house, thus she didn't have the faintest idea how to show some good manners. If she were to be polite, should she accept the offer to let Mikoto fill her bowl for her or refuse the once-in-a-lifetime offer? _Argh._ Still, she couldn't make up her mind. On the other hand, she felt starving up to now; maybe she was able to eat a horse if she wanted to. Since Natsu had probably prepared dinner for the households, maybe Erika could return home sooner and enjoyed her second bowl there.

"May I also have some?" The oldest son of the Uchiha family handed his bowl to his mother.

"Of course, you may."

 _Remember, Erika, you don't come here merely to have dinner._

Unknowingly, Mikoto also served another bowl of rice that Erika had been fantasized about in front of her. "Here you go." _Since when did she take my bowl?_ But who can decline free food?

"Thank you, Mikoto-san." Erika expressed her gratitude.

"Anytime. It's always fun to invite a guest for a bite," Itachi's mother revealed. "You know, my sons rarely take their friends home with them."

"Okaa-san!" Itachi surprisingly blushed. What a rare spectacle.

"Nii-san's only friend is me!" The little Uchiha bragged.

"That's because you always scare the guests away, Sasuke…"

"Do I?"

"Well, you can ask Erika-chan."

Sasuke looked threateningly at Erika and continued, "I don't think so."

"Shisui comes here as often as not." Itachi suddenly protested, his face was still burning with embarrassment.

"Ah, how could I forget about Shisui-kun? Every time he visits us, I have to make sure I cook for at least 10 people."

"That's because your cooking tastes delicious, Mikoto-san." Erika praised sincerely, "Thank you for the meal."

"You're very welcome, Erika-chan." As Erika finished her meal, she rose to her feet and was about to carry her bowl over to the kitchen. "No, no, you don't need to. Let me handle it."

Mikoto returned to the kitchen after she was done eating, leaving her two sons at the dinner table alone with today's guest. As a matter of fact, Erika had not entirely forgotten why he followed Itachi along the way. Being invited to have dinner with the Uchiha was a blessing in disguise she was thankful for. After all, sneaking up on Itachi turned out to be more tiring than she had ever imagined. For that reason, she felt she deserved the meal Mikoto had served her.

Back to square one, come what may, Erika had to persuade Itachi to figure out the hidden meaning behind her mother's message. What if Itachi turned her request down? Well, she had no choice but to make him. Still, it would be better if Itachi also saw eye to eye with her. He wouldn't feel burdened, and she wouldn't feel full of pity as well. They'd be even.

The questions were when was the right time to approach and how did she do that? If only Erika had the answers.

"Nii-san," Sasuke pulled his brother's arm aside, "You promised you'd help me with my homework."

"Sasuke!" Mikoto shouted from the kitchen. "Can you help me wash the dishes?"

 _Perfect timing!_

"But Okaa-san!"

"Sasuke…"

The little brother pouted with reluctance, "Okay…"

Erika clenched her fists before opening her mouth, "There's something I want to discuss with you. In private."

* * *

Little did Erika know that Itachi had led the way to his room. To his room, she emphasized. Surely she asked him to have a talk with her just between themselves, and what she expected was to consult with him outside the house—not in his room. Putting the awkward atmosphere out of her mind, she started off by showing the matches she received from her mother and passed them on to Itachi openly, causing Itachi to become confused there and then. "Why did you give these to me?"

"Okaa-san gave them to me first."

"Then why you let me have these—"

"Don't cut me off!" Erika barked. Her cheeks turned red as she regretted, she added, "What do you think matches are for?"

"To be alight."

"Exactly." She ordered, "Try to open the box."

Itachi did as Erika said. After he carried out the order to pull the box open, he noticed that all the matches were plainly unusable, not having the heads whose purpose is to be set on fire if you slide the match along the striker. However, the heads were nowhere to be found in the very beginning, meaning they were merely bars of thin woods that were coincidentally put into an appropriate small box. Just when he identified the missing heads, he had to admit that he was taken by surprise, in bewilderment at the same time.

"I think there's something Okaa-san's trying to tell me through these matches," Erika explained.

"You are certain she did leave you a hidden message, something along those lines. Am I correct?"

"Indeed." The auburn-haired girl nodded, acknowledging that the boy who sat by himself on the mattress without asking the guest to take a seat was naturally quick to react to.

"And you want me to decode the hidden message? Have you put your trust in me, Erika-san?"

"You don't need my trust to solve it, Uchiha, in fact," Erika paused. "… You are the only one who can interpret it."

" _Pardon?"_

"I-I won't repeat this," the older girl stuttered. "Only your Sharingan… are able to do so."

"I don't see why my Sharingan are the only ones that can interpret these things," Itachi pointed at the box of matches. "If this message is written for you, Erika-san, why am I the only one who is able to read it?"

Currently, Erika was at the end of the rope. To tell or not to tell. She hadn't considered the pros and cons of clueing Itachi in yet. "Because… Just because!"

"I have all the more reason not to do it for you then."

"Fine…" Erika breathed out a sigh frustratingly before she plumped herself on the mattress, "Okaa-san befriended an Uchiha before. I don't know if they still stay in contact with one another or not. I haven't even met this friend of my mother, so I'm not really sure."

"You do know that the Senju and the Uchiha never get along well at the very first start, right? But Okaa-san and her Uchiha friend managed to still be friends under the circumstances. So she told me that they exchanged hidden messages from time to time. For my mother, she usually carved the messages she meant to deliver on the matches. I'm not sure with her friend, though. Never have I gotten the chance to ask her myself."

"Have you looked through it with your Byakugan, Erika-san?" was all Itachi said.

"Believe me, I have," assured Erika.

Itachi observed the box closely, "Have you tried to set them on fire?"

"Why don't you just shut up and do as I say?" The auburn-haired girl raised her voice slightly, losing her patience.

Before giving his approval, Itachi groaned. "All right."

"For real?"

The jet-black-haired boy didn't utter a word to confirm it; he got up from his mattress and moved toward his desk. After he reached the desk, he threw the matches out of their boxes and scattered them on the writing table. "Let's see… Where should we start?"

Erika also picked herself up and sneaked a look from behind Itachi's back.

In next to no time, Itachi activated his Sharingan and bear witness to what his commander's daughter had enlightened. The hidden message caught Itachi by surprise for a split second. How could Senju Sakuya engrave a very small letter on a match? She must have an excellent chakra control to be capable of doing so. Even so, one match only carried a single word; he had made sure of it many a time. There were 30 pieces of them, more or less (thank God or he would have to strain his eyes), meaning he had to arrange those 30 words and form a meaningful sentence with them. Sounded like the very first instruction he would only discover on a written test.

"Tell me what you see," ordered Erika.

As Itachi turned to Erika, he already had his Sharingan deactivated. "Some disordered words."

Erika squinted suspiciously, "Define 'disordered'."

Itachi picked up a match from his desk, "Strangely enough, a match only holds one word." He stated further, "There are roughly 30 of these, on that account, I still have to put these words into order so that I can apprehend the full meaning of it."

"I… see?" No, she did not. The only thing that was drawn all over her face was an expression of confusion, and she didn't even bother to block it out. She obviously didn't fully understand what Itachi had explained to her. Still, she was waiting for him to figure out the meaning behind the hidden message. Be that as it may, Itachi didn't seem to be in great haste. He still had the time to do nothing and leave the matches high and dry on his writing table.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" Erika frowned.

"I believe that's not how you're supposed to ask someone for help, Erika-san."

"For goodness' sake…" Erika inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down. "Okay, okay. Doesn't your brilliant mind allow you to solve it out without much difficulty?"

"To tell you the truth, you don't need a brilliant mind to be able to solve it." Itachi added, "Persistence is all you need."

"Fair enough," Erika replied. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"What can you do to assist me?"

"Um, I don't know? Maybe you know better."

 _This is why I prefer to get something over and done with on my own._ Itachi talked under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Erika noticed.

"I didn't."

"When will you start?"

"Actually," the younger boy lied. "I can't really concentrate when somebody is around."

"If I'm not keeping an eye on you, you will keep procrastinating and pretend to have forgotten to do me a good turn!"

"I won't." Itachi convinced, "I give you my word."

"Fine! If you don't want to help me," Erika challenged. "I'll ask your precious little brother."

"Sasuke hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet."

Erika bit her lower lip, not wanting to be defeated yet. "Mikoto-san then!"

"What about Shisui?"

"Shisui who?"

"My distant cousin," Itachi revealed. "You met him earlier this morning."

Erika thought deeply about this Shisui guy Itachi mentioned, trying to recall his face. "Oh! I do remember him," gasped her. "When I asked him where you were at, he told me he didn't know you."

"He did?"

The older girl nodded without a doubt.

 _If that's really the case then, Shisui._ Itachi accepted the challenge. He went on to say, "Very well, I'll do it after you return home."

"Is it very hard to do it now you—"

"Nii-san," at the wrong time, Sasuke peeked out from behind the door, "You promised you would help me with my homework."

"Sure," the older brother agreed. "Come in, Sasuke."

Sasuke's expression changed drastically from enthusiastic when his older brother told him to enter his room to insulting when his onyx eyes met Erika's hazel eyes, as though he was bragging that he could have his brother (including his time) all by himself. Moreover, when Itachi was facing the other way, his younger brother stuck out his tongue on purpose.

"Fine! I'll be going home now," Erika announced her departure. For all that, she wasn't sure since when 'fine' had become her most-spoken word this very day. Before she walked away from Itachi's room, she meaningfully glared at him for the last time, "You owe me. Remember that."

Miraculously, Itachi instantly translated the hidden message Erika left as soon as she went back home. He knew he still had to keep his promise to give aid to his little brother, Sasuke in dealing with his homework. Thankfully, Sasuke was considered intelligent for his age so Itachi didn't need to repeat after what he had explained for the first time. Apparently, Sasuke could complete his homework without his assistance in next to no time. Still he wondered why Sasuke depended on him too much when he could handle it on his own.

While his little brother was engaged in doing his homework, Itachi occupied himself with putting the matches in order so that it formed a comprehensible sentence. Arranging each word turned out not to be less demanding than he had imagined. In a little while, he had finally constructed a sentence that could be easily made sense of.

In spite of having spared no effort to put the words in order at long last, the whole sentence was not as satisfying as he had anticipated.

 _If you're reading this, keep Erika's distance from me. Orochimaru is after her and I'm trying to stop him. I beg of you and will leave the rest to you._

Seemingly, the hidden message wasn't intended for Erika but was consigned to Itachi. The question was, of all people Sakuya could entrust Erika with, why it had to be him?

* * *

As far as Itachi could remember, he still had 2 days remaining to stay at home and absent himself from work. But all of a sudden, the commander summoned him to come to his office without delay.

At the front door, he met Tenzō, leaning his back against the wall and seemed to have been waiting outside for quite some time.

"Tenzō-san," greeted the young boy. "Is the commander also calling for you?"

"It seems to be true." The Mokuton user sighed exasperatedly, "Looks like we're going back to work…"

"Already?"

"Yeah…" Complained Tenzō, "What the commander meant by 3 days is actually 1 day off. It's not the first time it happened."

"Oh," Itachi appeared a bit disappointed, but he didn't look too surprised. "Shall we enter?"

The older ANBU didn't complain further and agreed with his junior to get into the room. Meanwhile, the two ANBU threw the door wide, the commander was having a conversation with his other subordinate. And just when Itachi and Tenzō proceeded to step into the room, the silvery-haired ANBU with a mask half covering his face didn't concern himself to excuse himself and leave the room. He just stood in front of the commander calmly, rooted to the spot.

"You came here unusually early," Tenzō commented. "Kakashi-senpai."

"Only because I asked Kakashi to come an hour earlier," revealed Kiyoshi.

"Oh, I thought we were running late." The brown-haired ANBU began, "So… what kind of task we will have to perform today?"

"Tell them, Kakashi."

"If you were to ask where I went on the last mission, I went to investigate Orochimaru's secret hideout." The man named Kakashi explained.

"Did you find it?" Tenzō slightly raised his voice.

"Fortunately, yes." The mysterious man stated further, "We were mistaken when we thought Orochimaru had been moving around until now. After all this time, it turns out that he has set up not only one base but many bases across the world. That's why we have been wrongly assuming that he's been traveling from place to place."

Although Itachi hadn't met this Orochimaru man everyone was making a big deal about, it didn't hold him back from visualizing the situation. "Apart from lying low in his secret base, what does he do?"

"Experimenting with human beings." The Mokuton user replied.

"Alright," the Hyūga concluded. "We don't have much time to waste. You guys should get a hurry on."

"Just the three of us?" Pointed out Tenzō, "What about the rest of the team?"

"And now that you mention it," Kiyoshi continued, "From now on, Itachi, you'll be assigned to Team Rō under Kakashi's leadership. This man beside you may not look like it but he is the captain of the elite unit you're now a part of. That being the case—"

"Kakashi will brief you on my behalf." Tenzō continued.

"What I'm trying to say is," the ANBU commander corrected, "Make sure you do as he says, Itachi."

* * *

The ANBU troop Itachi was officially a member of as of now had more members than he could think of. Including himself, there were 12 members in total, as he heard from Tenzō directly. So far, Team Rō had only been informed of the four lairs Orochimaru managed. Consequently, Kakashi had decided in advance to split the team into smaller groups consisted of 3 people to conduct an investigation into their respective hideouts. That being the case, Itachi hadn't introduced himself formally to his future teammates and had no choice but to work with Tenzō and Kakashi.

Since Itachi had accomplished a mission together with the Mokuton user before, he had already been quite familiar with Tenzō's strong points, weakness, also traits. In his new captain's case, he barely knew him—they just met a while ago. However, he found something contrasting in Kakashi's left eye. _Why does he have the Sharingan? Where did he steal it from?_

"Is there something bothering you, Itachi?" Kakashi began, making sure he didn't catch his foot while leaping from a tree branch to another.

"Nothing." Itachi told the truth, "I was only wondering where you got that Sharingan from."

"This?" the captain pointed at his crimson eye, "A friend entrusted it to me."

"Was he…?" the young boy assumed.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

"That's okay, it's been a long time," convinced the other Sharingan user. "Watch your back, we're almost there."

"That fast?" Tenzō recalled, "Yōji and his group have departed from the village since yesterday yet we haven't heard anything from them."

"That's because," Kakashi confirmed, "I purposely sent them off to the farthest hideout while I picked out the nearest hideout."

"That's very sly of you—"

The branch that Tenzō stamped on suddenly encircled his foot tightly, which caught him by surprise in a moment. Itachi and Kakashi then stop their tracks to inspect.

Nobody was capable of distorting a wood other than Mokuton users.

"Did you fall into your own trap?" Kakashi inquired.

"Why would I?"

"Was it set by an opponent?" Presumed Itachi.

"An opponent whose ability can manipulate wood…"

"A Mokuton user got captured in a trap I set," a familiar voice of a woman intruded. "How ironic."

"I've figured it has to be you." Kakashi addressed, "Sakuya-senpai."

* * *

Author's note: happy chinese new year to those who celebrate it! i also wanna thank you for the reviews you left, it really made my day while reading them. i think im addicted to reading your reviews! hehe. i dont have much to say except... sasuke is so adorable here, and so clingy 3 i really enjoy it whenever im writing about the interaction between the uchiha brothers~


	6. Second Chance

**Chapter Six** : Second Chance

"You're not joining forces with Orochimaru, are you?" The copy-nin asked, "Sakuya-senpai."

"Well," the corner of Sakuya's mouth twitched ambiguously. "From where you stand, how does it look like?"

 _No. It can't be._ The first time Itachi came face to face with her, she didn't give the impression of being unfavorable as people always made her out to be. Making him believe that she was merely a mother who was willing to move heaven and earth in order to reach out to her daughter. If she couldn't show the same affection she displayed to Erika, strictly speaking, she shouldn't have teamed up with the man who had posed a threat to her daughter. And why did she request him to keep Erika away from Orochimaru if she were to work together with him shortly after?

"Retreat as soon as I release the smoke bomb," instructed Kakashi in an undertone. "I'll rescue Tenzō first."

In next to no time, Kakashi threw the smoke bomb down the ground and before Itachi knew it, a cloud of smoke was emitted, slightly blinding his vision if he didn't make a break for it. He jumped from a branch to another as fast as his legs would carry him, without notice, little did he know that the other two had caught up with his speed. Thank God both Kakashi and Tenzō were in one piece.

"Kakashi-taichou," Itachi began. "Why did you order us to back away?"

The captain paused for a moment, as though he was considering his choice of words to come. After a while, he barely came out with, "She's way too strong. I don't want to gamble on our lives while battling against her."

At the time Itachi perceived the excuse Kakashi used, he already detected a lie. Why was he telling an untruth? What was he hiding exactly?

All of a sudden, Tenzō stopped in his tracks and spun his body around. "She doesn't run after us," he revealed. "Should we take a different route to not cross her path again?"

"Let's head back home," Kakashi insisted. "I'll let the commander know about the situation."

* * *

You're back early." Greeted Kiyoshi.

Kakashi had sent both Tenzō and Itachi away beforehand so that he could have discussions in private with the commander regarding his chance meeting with the ANBU medic turned missing-nin earlier on.

"We failed the mission," Kakashi reported.

"Explain yourself."

"Before we arrived at Orochimaru's hideout, we ran into Sakuya-senpai." Explained the captain, "She set a trap which Tenzō was eventually fallen for, and then she assaulted us."

The commander frowned, "She's joined forces with Orochimaru. Is that what you're trying to say?"

"Not entirely correct," the copy-nin assured. "Since it's still too early to make assumptions."

Immediately after, Kiyoshi examined his subordinate from head to toe. Not a single scratch could be spotted anywhere except for the cutting mark on his eyelid that he got in the past. _Kakashi didn't fight back,_ he assumed. But why hadn't he? Was it because Sakuya was a senior he held in high regard or because she was practically _his_ commander's wife?

"What are you going to do with it, Sir?"

Frustratingly, the ANBU commander slammed his back into the chair, his hand massaging his temples forcefully. For a short time, Kiyoshi shut his eyes to get his head together. Little did he know that he couldn't go on pulling some strings to prevent his wife from getting killed sooner or later. If truth be told, hardly any people had knowledge of the truth behind the mass murder Senju Sakuya performed on her own flesh and blood. The general public narrowly suspected that Sakuya who was expected to become heiress to the Senju Clan had not been on good terms with the Senju ever since she married beneath herself with a branch member of the Hyūga clan. In actual fact, the grounds of the massacre itself weren't developed from such family issues.

He relaxed his body and leaned back against the chair, turning it around so that he could face the window behind him. Through the window, the Hokage Rock where all the faces of the four Hokage were carved into the mountain overlooking the village could be seen. The first and the second were known well as the Senju brothers. _Seemingly, they had been governing the Leaf since the very first start. No wonder the Senju staked out a claim to this village._ Thought Kiyoshi. As for the third, he was appointed by the second, thus nobody legitimately had a say in that final decision. But the fourth? No. Kiyoshi was neither underestimating nor speaking ill of Minato. Thanks to his self-sacrifice, the village could be saved from the Kyūbi's attack 6 years ago. If Minato hadn't been made the Yondaime but anyone from the Senju had, things wouldn't have turned out like this. The Senju wouldn't have plotted the coup d'état, and Sakuya didn't have to get her hands dirty by slaughtering her kin. Never in Kiyoshi's wildest dreams.

"Sir?" Kakashi's voice called Kiyoshi back to face reality.

Without turning around his chair, the commander threated determinedly, "If anyone were to lay a hand on her. He added, "That should be none other than myself."

"I understood." The captain bowed before excusing himself.

No. He couldn't ever hurt her. Not in the slightest.

After the commander had dismissed the copy-nin, his original intention to finally return home had faded away. While waiting for the last sub-unit Kakashi had dispatched to another location, Kiyoshi was turning over in his mind alone at his office. He and Sakuya had always had different views in making a priority. For his part, he would merely concern himself when his nearest and dearest were involved, while Sakuya wouldn't think twice about devoting herself to the sake of the village. In the end, her selflessness got herself into trouble that she shared half with Kiyoshi unknowingly.

Be that as it may, why did she end up following in Orochimaru's footsteps? What kind of offer that vile snake came up with to the point that she couldn't refuse it eventually? Or had she been… _threatened_ by any chance?

At 10 o'clock, Kiyoshi might be grumbling about the tardiness the last sub-unit caused, as of now the time had ticked by midnight, he couldn't care less about how overdue his subordinates were but be lost in deep thought about Sakuya. Until there was a knock on the door that ultimately brought him round.

"Come in." The commander spontaneously answered.

A woman in her ANBU uniform showed up, her face covered in a cat-styled mask. Before the mysterious woman let out her voice, Kiyoshi already knew at first glance whose identity it was.

It was none other than Sakuya's.

The first time he saw her since the dreadful incident took place, he didn't bat an eyelash.

"It's been a while," the auburn-haired woman cut off. "How's the world been treating you until now?"

"Tolerably," he declared. "And how did it taste to lick at the blood of your own relatives?"

"How would you put it into words?" Sakuya chuckled humorlessly, "It tasted bittersweet."

Anxiously, Kiyoshi walked around his office, his violet eyes still looking dagger at his wife while sifting through her. "How dare you show your face before my eyes again?" He raised his voice, "Didn't I tell you that I would figure out a harmless alternative? I even told you to consider it seriously before jumping into action. But why did you go against my words?"

"There was no other way, Kiyoshi," the ANBU medic turned missing-nin defended herself. "If we waited for too long, the coup could've ensued."

"But why did you freely offer yourself to get your hands dirty?"

"Because if I hadn't applied myself, who else would?"

"You slaughtered your own flesh and blood, Sakuya. Of course, things wouldn't turn out like this if anyone else had done that," the commander snapped at her. "The living members of your clan attempt at getting their revenge against you for taking the lives of their family members and I can't seem to stop my subordinates from disposing of you any longer. Everyone sees you as a heartless murderer instead of a hero. What else did you expect?"

"I never have the intention to play hero, Kiyoshi. Of course, I've already seen it coming," an apologetic smile spread out Sakuya's lips. "But do you even wonder as to why I finally have the guts to show my shameful face to you if it's not urgent?"

Kiyoshi didn't utter a word, allowing her to state further.

"You've been aware that the chances for me meeting my end one of these days are highly possible, haven't you? If that day finally arrives, I would like you to burn my dead body." Sakuya proposed, "And no, I'm not asking you to make your hands dirty by putting my life to an end. Let those who have been seeking revenge against me get what they want."

"I assure you that very day won't arrive. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you." Kiyoshi's gaze softened as he stuttered, "Why did you suddenly request such a thing from me? Are you… ill?"

"Orochimaru intends to make use of my body as his vessel. You're conscious that he's been intrigued to know inside out about the wood release, aren't you? Who knows if he were to jeopardize the village with this power? Even if I breathe my last before he has the time to take my body over, he'll resurrect me with Edo Tensei and surely assume control of me after my demise."

Skeptically, Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes. "I heard you've teamed up with Orochimaru. Which I heard is correct then?"

"I have no choice. He took Erika hostage to lure me in."

Still, Sakuya didn't deny that she had worked together with Orochimaru.

He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control. "He… did?"

The Mokuton user nodded weakly. After a while, she hesitatingly persuaded, "Will you do it? For the village." She murmured, "…for our daughter's sake as well."

Regardless of the changes he had gone through until now, his answer remained the same. "Give me some time to make up my mind."

* * *

The next day, Kiyoshi had arrived at a decision to assign Itachi back to watch over Erika for the time being. Certainly, Itachi was reasonably confident that he made no mistake yesterday, except that the mission to inspect Orochimaru's hideout had come to nothing. Deep down, he still couldn't wholeheartedly act in accordance with the commander's final decision to allocate him to this task again for no earthly reason. For all that the job to secretly keep Erika under guard wasn't as demanding as either the infiltration or pursuit missions he had been on, he hadn't determined whether to tell her the unwanted truth or fabricate a white lie that would put her mind at rest.

Before the night fell, Itachi met Kakashi and Team Rō by chance on the street. They appeared like they had gotten back from the mission a short time ago. Their expression struck them as being worn out, causing Itachi to call off his intention to address Tenzō and Kakashi (since he was solely acquainted with those two). However, the Mokuton user saw him first before he had the chance to head away from them.

"Speaking of the devil, there he is," Tenzō told Kakashi before waving at Itachi.

"Oh, it's Tenzō-san and Kakashi-taichou." The younger ANBU greeted them, "Fancy meeting you here."

"We were talking about you just now," informed Tenzō. "So what kind of special mission the commander entrusted you with this time?"

"I assume the commander hasn't notified you," Itachi revealed, his expression slightly becoming sullen. "But I'm carrying out the first order I've been given."

"What is it? Is there perhaps something that I missed?" The Copy Nin's forehead crinkled in confusion.

Itachi sighed, "The order is to keep an eye on the commander's daughter."

"Do you also find it sort of strange, Senpai?" Tenzō glanced at Kakashi, "The three of us failed the mission but why Itachi is getting punished on his own?"

"I won't say that he's receiving a punishment, Tenzō." The captain corrected as he directed his gaze toward the younger boy, "Is there any potential harm that the commander wishes to keep his daughter from?"

"I'd be of the same mind as yours if she came from the main house of the Hyūga clan," assumed Tenzō. "What advantage would be taken of targeting a branch member?"

"Her mother is the infamous missing-nin and her father unfortunately or not, is the ANBU commander," Kakashi continued. "Of course she's likely to be an easy target."

"You've got a point there, Senpai." The brown-haired man acknowledged, "But if your argument is indeed the case, why didn't he opt for someone more fitting?"

"Because he found Itachi the _most_ fitting for this job?" The copy-nin shrugged, "Still I'll talk to the commander as to why he allocated you to another mission while my team is currently short of competent members."

Kakashi's words of encouragement had comforted Itachi a touch, erasing the false impression he received concerning him resuming the task he had gotten it over and done with. Perhaps Kiyoshi had an untold story that he meant to keep to himself. Or… could it be that Orochimaru had already made a move to endanger Erika as stated in Sakuya's hidden message? But how did Kiyoshi find out? His wife couldn't have told him directly, could she?

With each passing day, Itachi had become accustomed to dealing with his one-time duty and didn't regard it as a consequence in failing his mission anymore. He also made sure that he wouldn't get caught in the act this time, not because he narrowly didn't want to disappoint the commander again, but because he was avoiding the commander's daughter to boot. In point of fact, he hadn't come to a decision whether he would let Erika know that the hidden message was conveyed to him and not her, or alternatively go for a message asking how she's been doing. But why would you need the Sharingan to decipher a message of little importance?

It was 3 in the afternoon on a normal day. Around this time, Erika would be playing outside with the 3-year-old Hanabi, and Itachi guessed right—the two Hyūga were now playing hide-and-seek at the park. It was a sunlit day of late spring, and the sky held a soft blue glow. An ideal day to breathe in the unseasonable summer breeze, indeed. Unusually, Erika had been in a good mood since the sun rose this morning. Much to Itachi's surprise, she even took the initiative to invite Hanabi to visit the outside world.

"You're the 'it' now, Onee-san!" Exclaimed the younger Hyūga as she rushed to a hiding place.

"Don't go too far, okay?" Erika assured before jogging toward the nearest tree. Without hurrying, she closed her eyes and began to count down.

Stealthily, Itachi jumped over to the tree where Erika was coming into contact with below while catching sight of where Hanabi was concealing herself and making sure she did as the older Hyūga said. Otherwise, Erika would have to face the music if something bad were to happen to the clan leader's daughter. And Itachi honestly didn't have the heart to anticipate that.

"3… 2… 1"

Erika wasted no time in searching for Hanabi. After she opened her eyes, she gazed around far and wide. "Just come out already! I know you've been hiding there for long."

At the moment Erika walked casually to her right, Itachi who had been giving directions privately could only scream in his heart of hearts. _No, no, no! Don't turn right but go straight ahead!_

"How dare you ignore me!" The older Hyūga girl mocked, "You're dead if I find you first."

By all odds, her ridicule provoked Itachi to dissolve into laughter. _You're asking Hiashi-sama for digging you an early grave,_ he thought. Without knowing, his lips had curved into a smile. Just when he called back attention to himself, he failed to keep sight of Erika all of a sudden.

 _No, it can't be—_

Before he knew it, an unrecognized yet delicate hand wrapped around his ankle, hauling his body down the branch by force. Unmistakably, it was Erika who had pulled him down while he was coincidentally not alert to her presence.

FA-THUD

Instead of helping Itachi get to his feet, all Erika did was yell, "Y-you idiot! How could you trip so easily?" She extended her hand, "Here,"

"I suppose you should be at the very least asking for pardon, Erika-san," Itachi said painfully as he took hold of Erika's hand. Even so, just when he nearly found his feet, a shooting pain holding him back.

"Ouch!" Moaned the Uchiha ANBU, plowing his body into the tree trunk spontaneously.

"H-hey! I didn't even use my inner strength when I pulled you down! Don't act like you're dying!" Nervously, Erika sat on her heels, checking Itachi's injured limb closely, "Seems like you twisted your ankle."

"Is it severe?"

She gazed at him seriously, "If worst comes to worst, you'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life."

"You're joking—"

As Erika pressed her hand lightly on Itachi's leg, a friendly green chakra emerged from her palm, steadily relieving the twinge in his ankle until it was cured completely in next to no time.

"You owe me your life," she smirked. "But I'd rather have the comprehensible message Okaa-san conveyed to me any day now."

"Does that mean," Itachi picked himself up, "My life is _less_ valuable than those matches?"

"Hmm, you said it yourself."

"That's very unkind of you, Erika-san." The Uchiha confessed, "If I were to lose my life, who would interpret your mother's message for you any minute now?"

"I've figured out you haven't done anything about it," Erika sighed, "From where you got enough nerve up to show your face then?"

"Um, Erika-san," reminded Itachi. "You spotted me first."

"I didn't. You're just very bad at playing hide-and-seek. Maybe you should follow the example of Hanabi-sama, since I'm unable to find her up to—" pressing the panic button, the older Hyūga became conscious of the fact that the clan leader's daughter was missing. "Where is she hiding?"

"She went that way." The ANBU member pointed at where he saw Hanabi the last time.

That very minute, Erika went toward the way Itachi showed without questioning. "She's not here!" Cried her. A sudden panic struck her once again when she couldn't discover Hanabi's being there.

"Calm down, Erika-san." Comforted Itachi, "We'll definitely find her."

"You're right," Erika caught her breath regularly. After she had regained her composure, she urged. "Uchiha, you go to the left. I'll check on the right."

"Roger."

Long story short, he looked high and low for Hiashi's daughter, but the effort he made went to waste at the end of the day. He lost track of Hanabi in every respect.

 _Where could she have been?_ Itachi asked himself while seating himself on one of the swings at the playground near the park. His legs half sustaining his weight as he moved his seat back and forth a little. Just when he observed his surroundings, his gaze halted at the tunnel. _There she is!_ He approached her carefully only to discover the young Hyūga had fallen fast asleep in the tunnel, putting her peaceful face on view.

"Did you find her?" After Erika had a glimpse of Hanabi resting her chin on Itachi's shoulder as he piggybacked her, she deeply breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"

"I found her sound asleep in the play tunnel," Itachi notified her.

"Here, let me carry her—"

"I'm afraid you'll wake her up," The Uchiha boy insisted.

"Very well," Erika yielded. "I-I wonder which of us owe a greater debt of gratitude."

"I wonder that, too," Itachi admitted. "What responsibility you would be taking for if you were to let her slide?"

"I have no clue," answered Erika honestly. "But I'm certain it'll have to be a severe punishment since it's not the first time I failed to look after the clan leader's daughter."

"How so?"

"Do you happen to be familiar with the Hyūga affair?" She began, "To put it in a nutshell, I caused that."

Itachi waited for Erika to carry on, "Before I was given to take care of Hanabi-sama, I was originally set to care for Hinata-sama, her older sister. Unfortunately, I failed to keep sight of her during the night of her third birthday. Following that, she was kidnapped."

"Despite that, Hinata and Hanabi's father seems to still have every confidence in you."

"By a miracle, he does. After the regretful incident happened that night, instead of drowning myself in self-pity, I came to realize that Hiashi-sama was actually giving me a second chance."

Erika's enlightenment had somehow thrown light on Itachi's circumstances. As of now his eyes were wide open, he could conclusively understand that the commander was also giving him a second chance for him to take a turn for the better. Who would've thought that Erika had gotten into the same boat as him, and surprisingly, fire him with enthusiasm?

"For how many years you're planning to wait on Hanabi, Erika-san?"

"Until she becomes a decent heiress," the Hyūga girl replied. "Why did you ask?"

"Just because. Itachi suggested, "You look to be quite proficient in practicing medical ninjutsu. Why haven't you become a medical-nin on second thoughts?"

Erika sighed, "I was brought into this world as a branch family member, Uchiha. Unlike you, I was predestined to devote myself as a whole to the main family."

"What about your father? Everyone in the ANBU thinks highly of him."

"If you take off his mask, he'll just be revealed as… a self-centered coward who's been detached from reality."

"You should never call your father names like that."

"The father who raised me isn't the same as the commander you think highly of, Uchiha." In her arrogant triumph, she smirked. "Anyway, I won't be getting on your nerves at this stage. At least, not until you've solved the hidden message for me."

 _There she goes again, bringing up the message whose meaning I have yet to make up._

As though she was handling Hanabi with gloves, Erika picked up the child the clan leader entrusted her with. "D-do you remember the stupid suggestion I made with respect to disobeying Otou-san?"

Itachi nodded quietly, "Did you change your mind?"

"Forget about it!"

"Why should I?"

"Because I think I'm getting used to your stupid company a little bit! Besides, I find you l-less irritating by now."

In other words _, I've found comfort in you._

"I don't get it."

"You don't have to hide away from now on, you idiot!"

Before she fleed, the Uchiha boy caught a glimpse of her blushing cheeks.

* * *

Author's note: hi there! i hope i didnt make any confusion here. many events happened in one chapter (like the truth behind the senju massacre) have u ever wondered why there arent many senju around in the naruto series? well, i hope it makes sense now lmao. happy reading all of u! btw, im gonna go back to college soon (oh, i just received my report card and its godawful) let me survive another semester again. im gonna miss writing this story so much TT


	7. Her Selflessness

**Chapter Seven:** Her Selflessness

"The Akatsuki?" Sakuya frowned suspiciously at a couple in the black cloaks with red clouds. She was picking herbs afar from Orochimaru's hideout when the two found her. One of them had piercings all over his face—Sakuya had lost count of their quantities, and the other woman put on a ridiculously large paper flower on her head. _What a distinctive duo_ , she thought to herself.

"The Akatsuki can be a shelter that will protect a missing-nin like you, Senju Sakuya." The blue-haired woman assured.

"Protect me from what exactly?"

She was capable of keeping herself from harm. That's what she believed. Otherwise, anybody should be warned not to cross path with her for the worst-case scenario. Be that as it may, it wasn't unfortunate for the two Akatsuki members to confront her at the outset. Sakuya might not know their identities as of now; seeing that she seldom opened the Bingo Book while it was still in her possession (before she was included in it, ironically). Still, she could sense a rather dangerous chakra being released from them, indicating that the best way to deal with them was to think before making any necessary movement.

"None other than Orochimaru." Answered the spiky-haired man.

Just when Orochimaru's name was mentioned, her pupils expanded, displaying hatred. She snorted, "Sad to say that he won't be able to lay a finger on me."

"Perhaps not now," he assumed. "But he will, sooner or later. A trusted spy informed us that it took time for transferring completely to a new body. What are you biding your time for? We are lending you a helping hand."

 _A trusted spy_ , they said. The only name that crossed Sakuya mind was Yakushi Kabuto's. Who would have thought a loyal subordinate like him could sell out Orochimaru? Come to think of it, he was even one age with her daughter, Erika and already had a remarkable working experience as a double agent. What an achievement! Yet, it wasn't the right time to speak highly of Kabuto behind his back. She began to wonder, how far had he informed against Orochimaru? How far was the Akatsuki pair aware of?

"What does Akatsuki want from me?" Breaking loose her crossed arms, Sakuya inquired. "How do you think that my contribution will be advantageous to your organization?"

"Aside from you, we are also calling up other S-rank missing-nins to join our organization. Our main objective is to dominate the world. For that reason, such level of force is only possible to be acquired from recruiting S-class criminals." Explained the Rinnegan user who had the air of being the Akatsuki's leader.

Sakuya would usually respect other people's opinions regarding their views on life, but now, she couldn't help but question further. Let's just say the Akatsuki has reached their goal to run the world. _What will happen to this world next?_ Seemingly, the Akatsuki wouldn't turn the world for the better, owing to the fact that they exclusively recruited S-rank missing-nins. Why did the rank _more_ matter than the same purpose they shared?

"An organization consisted of S-class criminals whose ambition is world dominance. Do you attempt at bringing the nonessential exclusivity to the fore? Because if it's really the case, I'll have to say that our aspirations are incompatible."

The blue-haired woman stepped forward and declared, ignoring her partner. "Why don't we have a single combat? If I win, you'll have to come with us."

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary," Sakuya smirked. "All you have to do is answer my question. Who knows I'll change my mind if your answer can persuade me."

"Very well," the relatively tall woman in her late 20's nodded. "I'll give you a persuasive and satisfying answer if you win this battle."

"Hold on, Konan," the leader opened his mouth. "Let me settle this. World dominance may be our ultimate objective. For all that, Akatsuki members are allowed to aim for their different, individual goals. As long as you give assistance to our organization to attain our main objective, we will facilitate you to achieve your ambition as well."

Currently, she did not have a certain ambition that she was dying to achieve. It was true that the time would finally come when Orochimaru would take over her body, but she had already entrusted Kiyoshi with burning her body to ashes. If truth be told, she no longer had other meaningful reasons to stay existing apart from making sure that Orochimaru wouldn't try to harm Konoha. Other than that, she seriously wouldn't make an effort to prolong her life.

But she couldn't stand Orochimaru for the remaining duration of her life.

"I'll ask you one more time," the woman named Konan glared at Sakuya. "Will you join our organization of your own accord or do you want me to _make_ you join us?"

If Sakuya could choose to become selfish once in a while, this time would be her last.

"Am I left with any other options not to join you?"

Accordingly, her decision led her to another imprisonment.

Sakuya wasn't sure of how long she'd been locked up in Akatsuki's basement. The room had a humid air and was poorly lit. The only ray of light she could catch sight of was when Konan brought a tray of food to her cell. She just put the tray down behind the door without uttering a word and left empty-handed. No interaction exchanged afterward. Sometimes, when Sakuya lost her appetite, she purposely left the food untouched and the next day, the tray of food would disappear without a trace. Pain, the Akatsuki's leader who noticed Sakuya's strange behavior lately, decided to talk with her over that matter.

"Eat when we serve you food," he ordered. "We're not starving anyone to death."

"Sure, you're not starving us to death, you're only treating us like prisoners," scoffed Sakuya. "Where are the other members? Don't tell me they're all no more since you do not know how to treat them like one."

"For your information, we're still recruiting. That is why I can't assign you to a real mission yet. Worries aside, Akatsuki will be actively operating once we've gathered at least 10 S-rank criminals on our side." Pain announced.

"Do you need my help? When they refuse to join, all I have to do is challenge them for a match, no? Anybody will be able to do that."

"I appreciate your offer but I have to turn that down. However, if you have someone who meets the criteria in mind, just let me or Konan know."

"Since when my opinion is relevant? You won't even allow me to leave this sick place!" Sakuya's voice echoed along the corridor as Pain left her behind with no turning back.

If she seriously wanted, she could sneak away without a hitch. To her advantage, the room she resided in was furnished and decorated from materials made of wood. She could easily bend, let's say the table and make a hole in it. Having said that, whenever she was close to venturing into it, she thought twice about her potential action and used delaying tactics over and over again. A guilty conscience had gained full control of her, fear of regrets following. If she were to make her getaway, where would she go? Returning to Orochimaru? As if he would welcome her with open arms when he saw her again. If that vile snake were to locate her first, she was certain somehow that he would handle her _worse_ than how the Akatsuki gave treatment to her now.

With each passing day, she came to realize that she had nowhere to go.

"What's the menu for today, Konan?" Sakuya casually greeted her unusual visitor when she caught someone making noise outside her room. It could not be Konan since the only words exchanged between them were to make sure whether Sakuya was still alive and kicking in her room. Every now and then, Sakuya had been speculating, which described her best, a prisoner to Akatsuki or some kind of _tamed_ animal (since a pet was too good to be true by any means).

"Pain told us not to go downstairs."

"Pain is not around, you idiot! So you better shut your trap—"

"How may I help you?" Sakuya opened the door, coming face to face with a standing Venus flytrap plant wearing the Akatsuki cloak.

"Oh, shoot, she talks!" The white side of the plant exclaimed in surprise.

"What can we do to silence her? She might tell on Pain that we come downstairs to check her out." The other half of the plant, the black one to be precise, said in response.

"Who are you guys? No—what are _you_?"

"Sssh, don't raise your voice, will ya?" Begged the white side, "Kakuzu is taking a nap. If we wake him up, we're dead meat. No—you're dead!"

"And who the heck is Kakuzu?"

"What knowledge do you have of Akatsuki? Geez. You've been with us for quite some time and you seem not to know anything about our organization."

Sakuya curled her lip at the talking plant, "You're one to talk. How long have you guys become a member of this organization? You didn't even realize that your leader has been shutting me up in this basement until you disobeyed him not to go downstairs."

"You take issue with every new people we meet, Black Zetsu. And that's why I don't want you to tag along with me if we weren't in this state," Addressed his white counterpart. "Anyway, Kakuzu is the one who manages our funds. He is very stingy, so you better not spend a cent generously when he is watching."

 _Akatsuki has other members besides Pain, Konan, and I?_ "Is he one of us? Are _you_ one of us?"

" _Us_?" Repeated Black Zetsu.

"Yes, Kakuzu, Black Zetsu, and I are parts of Akatsuki. There's also Sasori, but he rarely shows himself." White Zetsu stated further.

Gradually, Sakuya became closer to the truth she was afraid to find out. What if Pain had been hiding the truth from her?

"Why are you not detained? Pain said he was still recruiting members. For that reason, I'm not allowed to leave my room."

"Because Pain is only taking you hostage." Revealed Black Zetsu without mincing his words.

Yup, what she'd been scared of had become a reality.

"Um, don't you think we've gone overboard? Remember, we're not supposed to disclose everything—"

Sakuya cut off White Zetsu, stuttering. "T-taking me hostage? From whom exactly?"

"Orochimaru," Black Zetsu continued, "Long story short, the Akatsuki has done him a service, yet he can't pay us back. That being so, you'll be taken into custody until Orochimaru can make a full payment to us."

She kept insisting that she should take everything these strangers had been saying with a pinch of salt, but it all made sense. As if the last piece of the puzzle had been found and it knowingly fit in the gap to a T. What about the proof? Should she make the situation clearer than how it appeared? This Venus flytrap could walk around and go beyond Pain's restriction area while she was trapped in the basement.

On the bright side, she had made up her mind to escape from this place before Orochimaru could recompense his debt. If she were to look back on the past when Pain won over her to sign up with the Akatsuki and even claimed that Akatsuki's main objective was world dominance. World dominance? Pfft, more like world economic dominance now.

"You're not thinking about breaking out, are you?" Caught Black Zetsu by surprise.

"Now is not the right time," Added White Zetsu. "We too bear a grudge against Orochimaru. We won't let him have what he wants."

"You're going to give a sign to me when it's the right time to break out, is that what you're trying to—"

"Zetsu?" Konan's voice suddenly filled the cold air, announcing her arrival.

"If you'll excuse us." Was the last thing they said before merging with the ground, passing from sight. With the supposedly classified information they gave away, they had Sakuya contemplating—did they worth her trust?

Meanwhile, over the basement, Zetsu was not meeting with Konan. She didn't call for them in the beginning—it all acted in accordance with the scenario they had schemed. The clone of White Zetsu would mimic Konan's voice in order to make them a way to dodge Sakuya's possible questions after they had successfully aroused her curiosity.

"Is Orochimaru that poverty-stricken to the point he is not able to pay us back?" Asked White Zetsu when they were the only two left.

"Of course I made that up," commented Black Zetsu. "None of them is factual. But I heard the real reason why Pain brought her in is to lure Orochimaru in."

"I don't get it."

"Pain has set an eye on Orochimaru to begin with, not her."

* * *

Without knowing, Sakuya had been fed with false information with every visit Zetsu paid to her.

"On that night, you should've slaughtered _them_ all."

Black Zetsu's words of wisdom drew Sakuya's full attention, "Who?"

"The Senju Clan," added White Zetsu.

"Who cares about that pathetic clan? They're individuals who are full of themselves, bounded by the same surname."

She lied. _Deep down, I still do_.

"I heard they were plotting a revolution against the Leaf," told Black Zetsu in all seriousness. "They even joined forces with Kiri."

Before Sakuya could bring herself to massacre the Senju councils, including the head of the clan, her father, she had to eliminate the humanity inside her first. Her soul case could still be in the land of the living, but the soul itself was truthfully among the dead. She tried to kill her emotion first so that her tears wouldn't blend with the blood of her kin. Even so, the pain took its time longer than it should and haunted her up to this time.

If it had not been for the sake of the village, she wouldn't have committed that.

"Have you been spying on the Senju? You're not trying to get yourself killed one of these days, are you?"

"Most certainly not, Kiri placed an order for Akatsuki to collect as much information and report to them." White Zetsu went on to say.

The Senju was being serious this time. If another planned revolution broke out, especially when they had invited the other party to conspire with them. This plan could end up as the Fourth Shinobi World War if the worst came to worst. Konoha could look past the threat if it came from any small villages but one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries? Sakuya couldn't anticipate it by remaining still.

Even so, she could not waltz into the village that had exiled her and notify them in advance either. She should consider which action to take seriously.

"If you were to enter the fray, which side will you take?" Asked White Zetsu out of the blue.

 _Konoha, for sure._ "Neither both," lied Sakuya. "Why would I take sides?"

It was only a matter of time for Sakuya to vanish into thin air.

A few days had gone by, it was no longer twilight; the village hidden in the rain was swallowed by the blackness that nobody could even get a glimpse of a hand in front of a face, let alone their sodden feet on the rutted path. The rainfall had gone on for the whole day. Many believed that the God was watching over them through the heavy rain, therefore they were encouraged to watch their tongues in return.

Just when Orochimaru set foot in Amegakure, of course, the God, alias Pain was able to detect his disturbing presence.

"Senju Sakuya has been giving you and Akatsuki a hard time, hasn't she? Attempting at abducting the Fourth Mizukage who is also a jinchūriki of the Sanbī. That being so, I got here to pick her up." Began Orochimaru outspokenly.

"Poor Sakuya, even her master is inclined to think it was really her." Chuckled White Zetsu who was eavesdropping on the conversation Pain held with his guest.

"In actual fact, it wasn't her doing," argued Pain. "One of our members didn't succeed in carrying out the operation. His uncommon ability is transformation technique that will allow him to alter not only his form but chakra signature as well. With those in mind, Sakuya was unluckily put to blame."

"Oh, how profitable Akatsuki is to have consisted of such competent members. At present, Akatsuki has _that_ Senju Sakuya, Akasuna no Sasori, the immortal Kakuzu, and not to mention, the owner to the Rinnegan," Orochimaru glanced at Pain's ripple eyes. "On the other hand, are you of the opinion that Akatsuki is still lacking in the workforce?"

"What are you implying at?" Inquired Pain to make certain.

"I'm offering my contribution to your organization. How about it?"

"It's official, Orochimaru has become one of us. Pain's gotten what he wants." Whispered White Zetsu.

"Quiet! They might hear you!" Nudged Black Zetsu.

"Sure," Pain stretched out his hand, gesturing for a handshake. "Welcome to the Akatsuki."

Orochimaru gladly shook hands with his new leader, "Before that, can I see Sakuya? She's also a member of this organization, is that true?"

Black Zetsu suppressed his laugh, "I can't wait to see their reaction when they find out the cell is empty."

* * *

"You might have been aware of why I summoned you today, Kiyoshi." Began the Sandaime as he welcomed the ANBU commander to his office.

Kiyoshi swallowed his saliva, "If it's regarding Sakuya's recent crime, yes, I've been fully aware of it."

"Kiri has sent us a letter of permission to put Sakuya to death," the announcement caught the Hyūga ANBU in a brief heart attack. "What are you going to do with it?"

For a split second, Kiyoshi paused. "Do I have a say in this, Hokage-sama?" He pointed out, "As the ANBU commander, I will give all my subordinates orders to hunt her down, taking charge of it directly if needed."

The Third sighed heavily, "Alternatively, I'll dispatch Danzō's troop to cover—"

"No, please, Sandaime," Kiyoshi inclined his head downward. "There are a few loose ends that I still have to tie up."

"I understand," Hiruzen squeezed the younger man's shoulder firmly, "In consideration of the foregoing, I assign this mission to capture Senju Sakuya to you."

It was a rather fine day in the Hidden Leaf village. The weeklong storm had cleared up every sidewalk and the trace of freshness still lingered in the air despite the fumes. The vibrancy of this village had bounced back in the twinkling of an eye as the clouds scattered. Unexpectedly, Erika agreed with Hanabi's invitation to play ninja at the park without reluctance. The summer breeze had worked its magic toward Erika; surprisingly, she was in the good mood today.

Erika and Itachi's relationship had been improving drastically these past weeks. Erika began to tolerate Itachi's being there and sometimes insisted on him climbing down the tree so that the three of them could play ninja together. Nevertheless, Itachi refused the offer repeatedly, which caused Erika to conclude he felt embarrassed for having to play ninja when he was already a member of Konoha's ANBU.

Although his daily task was to watch over the commander's daughter, he was still mindful of the search for Senju Sakuya. This very day, he learned that they had discovered Sakuya's whereabouts and his presence was requested for the flanking maneuver. Since Sakuya was blessed with regeneration ability, which allowed her injuries to heal faster, the suitable battle tactic for facing up to her prowess was the flanking maneuver.

Despite that, Itachi didn't have the heart to tell Erika what would occur before long.

"Oh, you finally came out," greeted Erika as she spotted Itachi explicitly. "Have you made your decision to join us today?"

"No, Erika-san, I—"

"Go back to your hiding place then."

"I have to go." Itachi interrupted.

"Err, okay?" Erika raised her eyebrows confusingly, "Your presence is hardly noticeable. I mean, it won't make any difference, will it?"

Briefly, Itachi stared blankly at her. In the last couple of weeks, Erika had cut down her constant complaint of not being able to meet her mother. Regardless of that, Itachi could identify that the prolonged duration of waiting for the uncertainty wouldn't make her forget nor worry less. He truly felt sorry for her because he would be encountering her mother in the near future and still could not imagine the nightmare on her behalf.

"Take care."

"You stole my line, Uchiha!" She glared at him jokingly, turning his body around and holding on to his shoulders a little while longer. "Come back in one piece."

* * *

An army of Hunter-nin from Kirigakure had surrounded Sakuya by the edge of the cliff. They threw every weapon they had at her simultaneously without mercy. At first, she was in a position to defend herself by creating a giant wall made of wood, but her limited amount of chakra restrained her from it, leaving her with no option but to dodge with her agility only.

"Surrender before the reinforcement from Konoha gets here and disposes of you." One of the Kirigakure's ANBU commanded.

Sakuya gasped for breath, "Why are you suddenly taking interest in assassinating me? What kind of reward they offered to you? Where have you guys been after all this time?"

"I'm sick of women playing dumb. How dare you make light of trying to kidnap our Mizukage?"

The rude awakening took her by surprise. Why would they accuse her of the crime she didn't commit? She was locked up in a basement for who knows how long and the only one who kept her updated with the outside world was none other than a giant, talking Venus flytrap. How could she fail to notice that somebody had been unknowingly making use of her identity to be responsible for the act of kidnapping?

Zetsu was at fault. She was confidently positive to point the finger at him, seeing that she was quite familiar with his unique capability of transforming into another individual. It had to be _him_.

"I need to talk to the Mizukage—"

"You tried to kidnap him once, Senju Sakuya. Do you think we would give you permission to come into contact with him after what you have done?"

"Taichō! The reinforcement from Konoha is arriving."

"Finish her off."

Before Sakuya knew it, she shut her eyes tight. The pain that once burned like a fire had been converted into an icy numbness. Darkness filled the edge of her vision and the only subdued noise she could hear was her own heartbeat. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. Her regeneration ability should have sped up the pace of her physical recovery, but the defensive wall she created before had drained all her chakra to almost empty.

A couple of seconds had ticked by after she dropped down the ground; a recognizable voice rang in her ear.

"Stop! Hold your weapon! This is an order!"

Kiyoshi and the reinforcement that was originally reserved for ending her life came to the rescue. How ironic. If she still had enough strength to laugh, she would.

Her dried lips curved into a painful smile, "Ki-kiyoshi? Is that you?"

"Save your breath for later. You're bleeding severely," turning his head aside, Kiyoshi shouted in panic. "Medic! My wife _is_ dying!"

Sakuya forced her blurry vision to follow Kiyoshi's movement, "Kiyoshi…" she spoke in an undertone.

"Medic! Can't you see someone is dying? In spite of the crime she committed, she's still one of us. She's still a member of Konohagakure!"

"Calm down, Sir! We're calling for the Medic Corps."

"We don't have much time!" Screamed Kiyoshi before turning to his dying wife. "Hang in there, Sakuya. I'm bringing you to the nearest hospital in Konoha."

"It's okay, Kiyoshi… I'm – I—"

"Back then, I wasn't able to fight along with you. You surpassed me in everything. As a husband, I admit I'm ashamed of not being able to hold a candle to you. Just for this time, I ask you, Senju Sakuya to fight along with me. You won't battle this alone this time. All you have to do is hang on and fight for yourself, we'll win this battle for sure."

"Thank you… for… keeping me… alive."

"Sssh, we're getting there! Don't die on me, Sakuya. That's an order."

Her husband carried her in his embrace. Blankly, she stared at Kiyoshi's neck, recognizing how lucky she was to have the opportunity to breathe her last in his arms. She made another promise. No, she accepted an order not to lose her life. Even though she wasn't sure herself, would her body was capable of carrying it out?

As they arrived, they were faced with rejection from the local hospital. Of course, who would wish to save the life of someone who had murdered her own flesh and blood?

"I beg of you, Doctor. Please save my wife. She has lost so much blood and drained all her chakra to heal herself!"

The addressed doctor looked briefly at the poor man and then walked away, "I'm sorry, I'm busy right now."

 _Are you happy now? After what you have done to prevent the coup from ensuing, this is how they treat you._

Kiyoshi fell to his knees, "Help her. Anybody!"

 _In the end, they only see you as another heartless criminal. They do not know the Senju were to blame, that's when they started blaming you._

 _They do not know what actually happened behind all this._

At the moment Itachi witnessed the commander pathetically cry for help, he took the initiative to slip away from the crowd and return to Konoha in advance. If his memory served him correctly, they didn't bring any medical-nin along to the appointed meeting place where they would surround Senju Sakuya. Therefore, the uproar in the woods Kiyoshi caused was of no use. On his way back, he managed to convince himself that it was best to let Erika know about this situation, even though he was clued in on the consequence he had to face later on.

Erika's face was brightened up when she saw Itachi, "You're back!"

"Come with me, Erika-san." Itachi removed his mask, revealing his humorless expression.

"Why all of a sudden?"

Itachi wrapped his hand around her wrist, "I have no time for going into details. Let's go."

She broke off from his tight grip, "What is it?"

"Trust me, Erika-san," he gazed into her hazel eyes convincingly. "You'll regret it if you do not come on the scene."

Erika didn't question why Itachi guided her to the hospital. People had already gathered outside the hospital, watching the commotion a certain patient was possibly making through the window. She tiptoed to figure out what was taking place in there until she heard Itachi call at the top of his voice.

"Move away, please!"

Without hurrying, the sea of people moved aside and made a space for Erika to spot the person she had been longing to see, lying down on the floor.

"Okaa-san!" She rushed to her mother who was drenched with her almost dried blood.

Erika knelt down beside her mother's weak body, "What happened to her? Answer me, Otou-san!"

Her father looked deeply into his daughter's eyes, full of hope. "Tell me, Erika. Tell me honestly. Will your mother make it?"

She activated her Byakugan, only to find out Sakuya's vital organs had been gravely wounded. There was still a slim chance that she could fix them. No matter how slim it was, no matter how pessimistic she believed she was, she would not give up on her mother's life.

 _Because she brought me into this world. To this life._

Gently, Erika placed her palms on Sakuya's chest, giving strength to her weakly beating heart.

"That's e-enough," mumbled Sakuya. "Erika…"

"Don't speak, Okaa-san."

"Your mother has something important to say to you, Erika…" Kiyoshi looked away, concealing his tears.

Tears began to make her vision vague. From her father who was putting on a false, strong front, she shifted her gaze toward her dying mother, guessing her last words.

"I'm… sorry for not becoming the mother you can be proud of, for standing you up recently, for giving you trauma and all."

"And most importantly… for prioritizing the village over you. I didn't set expectations for you to join the ANBU like your father and I. You can dream of becoming anything you want in the future, but one thing you should keep in mind is to love this village, come what may."

"Because every precious person I'm willing to protect with all my might belongs to this village. You, your father, Hokage-sama, and the other villagers as well. I want you to think the world of your hometown in the same way I see the beauty in it."

"Thank you, Erika for being my daughter, for accepting your sinful mother. Despite everything, promise me not to turn your back on our home."

Soon after, Senju Sakuya laid down her life.

* * *

long ass author's note: hello i'm back! i have the feeling y'all have already forgotten that this story exists and is still on-going! ok, lemme help you remember the previous chapter. hm, where do we start? sakuya asked kiyoshi to cremate her body if she were to meet her end one of these days. idk if i killed her too soon or not, but killing her is necessary for the progress of this story and erika's character development (which will be revealed on the next chapter!). seriously, i do not kill for fun.

there might be many confusing parts here and there. so i'll elaborate it here. to put it in a nutshell, sakuya was brainwashed. like black zetsu claimed, everything he told was untrue. the senju wouldn't go for another coup this time. a mass killing of their councils should have traumatized them by now. oh, and kiri wouldn't declare war to konoha either. but it's true that zetsu had been falsifying sakuya's identity and tried to abduct the mizukage. since that little kage possessed that sanbi and we all know akatsuki's crazy for bijuu hoho. but why would zetsu do such a thing? his ulterior motive was to make sure the timing was right so that sakuya would run away at the right time. and yes, pain originally wanted orochimaru to join the akatsuki, he only used sakuya as a bait for oro to show himself without him approaching first.

but i think there are still many things lacking in this chapter. this chapter is supposed to be heartbreaking, but when i reread it before posting, i was kinda disappointed with how it turned out but i really can't wait to skip this part because i'm dying to write about itachi! so yeah, if u notice, i changed the genre to angst hahaha here we start!


	8. Aspiration

**Chapter Eight** : Aspiration

Since Senju Sakuya met her end, the days afterward became a hard time for the commander. Having said that, his subordinates on the whole, failed to think twice about giving him another hard time by making him the talk of the headquarters. His action defending his disgraceful wife before breathing her last had already been brought into question, and once they finally got the answer, they were not satisfied by it because it turned out that the commander whom they always held in high regard had always prioritized that clansmen slaughterer Sakuya over the village. Especially when Sakuya used to be a part of ANBU before she annihilated the Senju Council. The disappointment felt twice as huge.

Despite still being in mourning, Kiyoshi still went to work, turning a blind eye to the pity taken on him every time he crossed path with one of his subordinates in the corridor. Their arms could be raised in a triumphant salute; their heads could bend lower until they kissed the ground. Be that as it may, he knew that behind his back, they were making a fool out of his everyday lecture about keeping work and personal life separate when he himself was seemingly not able to set a good example for his subordinates.

Rumor had it that since the commander was coming to deep grief as yet, no new missions assigned to either team or individuals. As instructed by Kakashi, all they had to do was to resume the unaccomplished mission, meaning the only job Itachi had to do was to carry on with keeping tabs on Erika (although she insisted on him climbing down the tree and helping her babysit Hanabi).

But when Itachi paid a visit to the Hyūga main residence, he couldn't spot Erika anywhere. Until a dark green-haired maid approached him, "Aren't you the boy who always watches over Erika-chan from the tree?"

… Not the best first impression he left on someone. He could have sworn if the maid didn't possess the Byakugan and had noticed his presence from the very beginning, he would make an assumption that Erika had been spreading his identity around.

"Is she not arrived yet?" Inquired Itachi.

Her brows bumped together in a scowl, "Haven't you heard what happened to her mother a few days ago? We feel terribly sorry for her. Hiashi-sama said she could take another day off until she feels a bit better."

"Ah, I see…" Itachi turned his body around, prepared for leaving. "Thank you for your information. I'll be going now."

"Wait! I think I knew you!" A familiar childish voice caused Itachi to cast his eyes down.

"That's not how you greet a guest, Hanabi-sama," the Hyūga lady directed her apologetic gaze to Itachi eventually, "I'm sorry! She clearly doesn't mean what she said."

"You're the one who saved us from falling into the cold river, aren't you?"

The Hyūga maid examined the 3-year-old in disbelief, "Falling into the cold river? When?"

Hurriedly, little Hanabi stepped aside and hid behind Itachi's back, "Oh no! Natsu found out our biggest secret! She will tell Otou-sama for sure!" Panic-stricken, she tugged at Itachi's vest, pleading for help, "Onii-san, let's go to Erika no nee-san's place!"

"Erika must have pampered her so much…" the older Hyūga complained under her breath, "I promise I won't report to your father so get back here, Hanabi-sama."

Just when Itachi intended to play along, his Sharingan caught a tawny owl flapping its wings, uttering a hoot at midday as though it was calling his attention. If his memory served him correctly, the owl was the Commander's summon. What would the commander who was not in a condition to charge him with a new challenging mission call him for?

"Say something defending, Onii-san!"

"I suppose your father won't make a big deal out of it as long as you're safe," suggested the Uchiha ANBU, "Therefore you shouldn't be afraid of going back to…" Itachi paused, eyeing the maid whose name was still unrevealed.

"Natsu."

"Natsu-san," he spun around, getting down on his knees so that he could see Hanabi face to face. "I'm sorry but I have to pass on. Maybe some other time?"

Natsu's cheeks bloomed in triumph, "Come here, Hanabi-sama. Too bad ANBU no Nii-san has to run an errand."

Curling her lips, Hanabi was left with no option but to let Natsu win this time. By that time she could rotate her head slightly to see the mysterious masked boy off, his presence had passed from sight.

* * *

Unusually, Kiyoshi asked Itachi to meet him at the Third Training Ground.

Gone was the clear blue sky of the other day. Above was an almost unbroken layer of white and grey, where the sunshine broke through and dark where it did not. The gloom of the day was reflected in the mood of the commander. Maintaining his stern, mournful expression, he held his head high.

"I have a mission for you," he began, "Be sure you do well on this mission. Or else, you'll be stuck with the same repetitive mission you've been assigned ever since the day you joined the ANBU."

Itachi inclined his body deeper; "I won't let you down this time."

Pulling out a giant scroll, Kiyoshi bit her thumb to produce blood gushing forth from it and then planted his hand on the scroll. Thin fog suddenly rendered them sightless for a split second before the fog gradually faded away, revealing Senju Sakuya's corpse on the autopsy table.

"Burn her remains to ashes."

"But why?" With no holds barred, Itachi objected, "Didn't you care very much for her? Why do you not lay her to rest decently?"

"In the near future, you'll be entrusted with more classified information and have to pledge yourself to take responsibility for it come what may. The better you carry it out, the more trust the village will put in you, and the greater you will have to carry on your shoulders at last." Hinted the commander.

"How do you expect me to do well on my mission if I'm not allowed to comprehend the mission itself?"

"I'm giving you an advice constructed by my experience so far," added Kiyoshi, "It's best not to be clued in on anything than to gain their trust."

"Before assigning this mission to me, did you even placed your trust in me, Sir?"

"I didn't," denied him. "I have confidence in you, that's all."

The younger ANBU's brows knitted in a frown, "Does it have a different meaning?"

"A trust is a belief that you will do as I say while confidence is a belief that you are capable of doing so."

"If you'll pardon the expression," Itachi professed, "Are you not confident of yourself then?"

That very minute, he wished to retract the offensive remark he made. Kiyoshi was still grieving for his loved one, why would he anticipate his commander to dispose of his wife's dead body on his own?

"To be cremated was her dying wish," sorrowfully, the ANBU commander shifted his gaze to his wife, "Ironic, isn't it? We are obliged to grant someone's dying wish, aren't we? You will feel guilty for not doing so. That's what I'm truly feeling right here and now."

Itachi was wrong, so was everyone else. None of them was correct. None of them was able to read minds and decide the outcome. They could just form the false opinion and regard it as true—judging was all they could do.

"As her husband, I have the right to keep her body, but as the ANBU commander, I'm responsible for disposing of it," confessed Kiyoshi, "But the elders don't trust me as much. After all, this body holds the secret of the wood release that came by the Shodai Hokage. They wish for her body to be destroyed completely so that such fearsome techniques won't fall into the wrong hands."

Lost for words, Itachi closed his fists into tight balls, his nails into his palms.

"Itachi," Kiyoshi's rough voice echoed, "Can you do it?"

After a while, he made up his mind. "I'll bear witness to the disposal of Senju Sakuya's body—not only that," with a strong determination, he looked straight at the mortal remains, "You can leave the rest to me. Step back."

All of a sudden, a voice rang in his head. _If you're reading this keep Erika's distance from me._ Let alone the message, the voice ringing in his head sounded recognizable, but whose it was? Had he heard it somewhere?

 _Orochimaru is after her and I'm trying to stop him. I beg of you and will the rest to you._

It was definitely Sakuya's. She never read it aloud to his face, but why could he mimic her tone and even her pitch as though every written word was brought to life?

Abruptly, Itachi fell to his knees, his hands propping his chin up against the pricking grass. Gasping for air, he leaned back to check if the body was still there rooted to the spot.

" _Is he a friend of yours, Erika?"_ a whisper blew into his ear.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Embers exploded into the blackness, bright colors leaping and dancing furiously as if they were hissing at him. He took a few steps back before standing still, observing. The more focus his Sharingan brought into, the more he hallucinated about the flames reaching desperately out for him, attempting at creeping its heat wave over him.

A haunting memory of Sakuya went with the spark, waving goodbye to Itachi. Now he knew how difficult it was to stand in the commander's shoes. He barely got to know her, yet vague memories about her weighed heavily on his pangs of conscience. _What would her husband, the commander see?_ A husband who promised to spend the rest of their lives together would have more lasting memories than Itachi had, wouldn't he? Would it be more excruciating to watch all the memories of her went up in a smoke?

At the end of the day, Itachi finally had the courage to inform the Commander on his daughter, "Erika-san secretly met up with her late mother once in a while."

Kiyoshi's violet eyes wouldn't move from the fiery blaze, "Did she catch you following Erika?"

"Yes."

"That's Sakuya for you, one of the most impressive Sensor ANBU has ever had," he faked a smile.

"She gave me the same order as yours, none other to keep Erika-san away from harm," Itachi admitted, "I wish I knew her sooner."

"Where did they usually meet up?"

"The forest separating Konoha from Kusa."

"Ever since her mother passed away, Erika hadn't returned home yet," told Kiyoshi, his hand reaching his other hand behind his back. "I understand she finds it hard as well, but as a parent, I'm afraid she might go off too far."

"Why don't you pick her up?" Itachi suggested.

"She probably hates my guts," Kiyoshi let out a half-suppressed laugh.

"Hate is such a strong word…"

The older ANBU coughed, "I honestly have another favor to ask. I swear I never became this needy before. Is this too much?"

"I'm all ears."

"Go after Erika. S-she'll listen to you," the commander looked away. "One more thing, do not take this as the last mission involving my daughter—no, don't even regard it as another mission. It's a request. From a father."

* * *

Tears dried up on her burning cheeks, eyes swollen because of sobbing nonstop, and a crushing pain throbbing violently on the sides of her skull. She had enough. Crying—it alleviated her longing for her mother at first but drained all her energy in the end.

As the light ebbed, so did the warmth of the day, until all that was left was the chill of twilight and the promise of a cold night to come. It was getting dark—about time for Erika to finally go home.

When she found her feet, her knees made a 'crack' sound for sitting in the same spot and not moving a muscle all day long. She grabbed the nearest branch to support her. Just when she was all set to take off, Itachi got there in time.

"Your father is worried sick about you," was the first thing he said.

Spontaneously, Erika crouched down and buried her swollen face in her knees. "Uchiha! You scared me!"

From the higher branch, the Uchiha ANBU glanced down at the commander's daughter in bewilderment. "You should at least look me in the eye when I'm talking to you, Erika-san."

"Why? So that you could hypnotize me with your Sharingan to bring me back home?" Scoffed Erika.

"Well, you don't want to live in the woods forever, do you?" Itachi pointed out, "Anyway, why are you hiding your face from my sight?"

"Just return first! I'll catch up."

"I'm not leaving without you."

"Pfft, fine. But promise me you won't be laughing…"

Itachi removed his ANBU mask, "What is it?"

"My face is all puffed up. It's really embarrassing to see."

The younger boy heaved a sigh, "If that's really the case then…" he jumped down and took a seat behind her, resting his back against hers. "Can you perhaps heal yourself? I don't have the heart to keep the commander waiting for too long."

"If he doesn't want to bide his time for me, he should be the one coming after me. Not ordering his subordinate around like he always does."

"I beg to differ, the commander didn't order me," Itachi corrected, "He asked me a favor as _your_ father."

"A different choice of words won't make any difference, Uchiha."

"May I ask why you are unable to stand your father so much, Erika-san?"

"It's not like I can't stand him at all. I mean he himself is rarely home, putting work first before anything else. When he's finally home, all he does is find fault with everything I do," expressed Erika angrily, "What is he like at work?"

Pondering, Itachi crossed his arms over his chest, "Other than finding fault with everything I do, I consider him a perfectionist. I'd only be lying if I said he doesn't criticize us for not succeeding the mission but he really puts our lives first. Completing the mission isn't the utmost importance to him, coming back in one piece is."

"Ah, I see why you're defending him with burning passion," she went on to say, "He's a totally different person at work."

"I'm certain he will definitely do the same when a family member is in danger."

"Can you say the same about my mother's case?" Erika raised her voice.

"She was fatally wounded when we found her. Scared of losing his wife, the commander decided to rush her to the nearest hospital. As they arrived at Konoha Hospital, Sakuya-san had lost too much blood before she could be saved."

Itachi's version of events got Erika thinking. Was she wrong about her father all this time? But was Itachi trustworthy in the first place?

"Did he tell you that?" Assured Erika.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

As much as she tried to make herself believe that she cried her eyes out enough for today, the pain once again came out like turmoil from her throat in the form of a silent scream. Without a sign of stopping, the beads of water started falling down one after another. The grief after the death of her mother turned her extremely sensitive these past few days. Until recently she realized how cruel of her to her father who bore the same pain as her. She never saw it coming. She always thought her father didn't care for her mother anymore ever since she abandoned the village. But she was mistaken.

"Didn't you say your eyes are already swollen? Why are you shedding more tears, Erika-san?" Reminded Itachi, putting a stop to Erika's crying.

"You're right," acknowledged the older girl, "I treated him unfavorably, hurting him so. There's nothing I can do about it now."

"Apologize to him. Be good to him now. Make him proud," advised the Uchiha ANBU. "Better late than never."

How could she make Kiyoshi proud? She always thought that her father only wanted her to dedicate even her life to the main family. But look at him, he was the commander of the reputable assassination and tactical squad while he himself was still a part of the branch family. Did he really want it like that? Sure, becoming a member of Konohagakure's ANBU could shorten your lifespan seeing that every given mission was indisputably life-threatening, but being born into a branch member of the Hyūga clan wouldn't guarantee life itself would do justice to you in return. Life is a game of chance after all.

"Uchiha," called Erika, "If I decide to pursue medical ninjutsu, will Otou-san support it?"

"Certainly, he will," answered Itachi. "But why do you suddenly want to become a real medical-nin?"

"Didn't you ask me why I didn't become one before?"

"There must be another reason."

She clenched her fists tight, determined; "There's nothing more beyond price than people's lives. I aspire to save as many lives indiscriminately, let alone their nationality and classification." She continued, "Okaa-san's cause of death is none other than late treatment. Because no medics wished to save the life of a traitor. If only I had been competent enough to save her…"

Itachi glanced back; making sure the person he was talking to was still there. Much to his relief, Erika's forehead was stuck onto her knee as yet, hiding her face away. Before he knew it, an admiring smile rolled over his lips. "I genuinely think it suits you. But I'm curious about it, do you also plan to join the Medic Corps after this, Erika-san?"

"Uh-huh, I'll be taking the entrance exam at the end of this year. I can't wait until I become a part of the Medic Corps!" Raved the commander's daughter, "Hey Uchiha, wouldn't it be cool if we could assist each other while on duty? But don't you dare come to me when you're covered in blood!"

"Why so?" Itachi frowned, "You said you would save as many lives indiscriminately a minute ago."

Her cheeks flushed, "That means don't get hurt, you idiot!"

Itachi picked himself up, "My apologies for changing the subject, Erika-san, but has your bloated face deflated yet? It's late already, we have to head back."

Erika followed suit, stretching her stiff legs, "Who cares if it's still bloated anyway? It's dark already, anyone would hardly notice—"

The younger boy leaned his face forward so that his face was right in front of hers. "You shouldn't have cried earlier, Erika-san. It made your puffy eyes worse."

On impulse, she pushed his forehead away to give herself a wide berth to breathe. "T-too close!" Wishing the earth would swallow her up; she covered her blushing face with her palms. "I lost confidence to head home with this shameful face. That's your fault, Uchiha! I'll go home the next morning."

"Here," much to Erika's surprise, Itachi put his ANBU mask on Erika's face, "Can you walk with it?"

The Hyūga girl nodded weakly. This time, she wouldn't have to search a cover for her flushed cheeks. His mask found her face first.

"I lost count of how many times you bumped into my back—"

"How do ANBU manage to wear this kind of mask all day long? It's boiling hot inside!"

* * *

author's note: no, i'm not forgetting about this story at all. so i just survived this semester (which i still can't believe) and the only spare time when i can write is during holiday. and now that i'm on summer break, anticipate frequent update! erika and itachi got along well, tho it took them at least 6 chapters to talk normally without raising their voice to each other (mainly erika). still progress is the key! even tho a medic heroine is overly used in every itachi x oc fic, i can promise erika will be no ordinary medic. am i the only one who's appreciating the idea of erika tapping itachi's on the forehead? their interaction here makes my heart flutter really. whose heart wouldn't skip a beat if uchiha itachi were comforting you? seriously, itachi would make the best kind of best friend!


	9. Perfect Imperfection

**Chapter Nine** : Perfect Imperfection

A couple of months ahead, Erika would be facing the entrance exam for the Medic Corps and she wasted no time in studying. The subjects she had to master in order to pass the written test was none other than chemistry and biology. She wouldn't deny that she was horrible at committing the concepts to memory; consequently, she had to spend more time in the library, reviewing the materials over and over again.

The father and daughter had also settled their differences. Kiyoshi no longer avoided his daughter by working late and returned home almost every day if he wasn't too occupied with paperwork. Even so, whenever he arrived home, the very first person he wished to see couldn't be located anywhere. Immediately, he was aware of Erika's whereabouts—she could be studying in the library at the moment without a thought of coming home crossing her mind. He sighed at the possibility. She better not forget to feed herself this time!

Erika would only go home if the librarian drove her out. The librarian could've had enough of her coming and going already—no matter how furious he became, Erika would still waltz into the library again the next morning as if nothing had ever happened yesterday. Be that as it may, she never complained about the rude librarian to Kiyoshi when she was home. Her complaints mainly revolved around how difficult she found to memorize all the chemical reaction. As though a patient would like to know what the chemical reaction was for the medicine she prescribed.

"You are just like me, Erika. I also have a problem with remembering complex principles. That's why I signed up with the ANBU," Kiyoshi boasted, "Maybe you should follow in my footsteps instead."

Erika's weary expression brightened up, "What? Becoming the ANBU commander?" She jabbered, "Otou-san, are you retiring?"

"Where did you get that idea from?" Kiyoshi let out a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'll have to start at the bottom just like everyone else. Your father being the commander will not give you the upper hand."

She pouted, "I never said I want to enter the ANBU in the first place. How on earth you manage to execute a mission while wearing a really distracting mask?"

"By a really distracting mask, which point of view you mean from?"

"I put on it once and my face was boiling inside. I couldn't wipe my sweats off without removing it—oh, that was a slip of the tongue! Just pretend you never heard it." Erika sealed her lips tightly once she recalled she wasn't supposed to spread the word for Itachi's sake.

Kiyoshi couldn't help but smile faintly. Regardless of how old she turned, his daughter was still a kid at heart. He was thankful that even though he had lost the love of his life, the misfortune restored the friendly relations he used to have with his only daughter.

"I'm not sure if it could be of help," the ANBU commander suggested before traveling briefly to his neat and tidy room, carrying an empty medium-sized scroll along. "It must be stressful to be studying in the library for a day long, yes? With this scroll, you can move the materials needed onto it and bring it around. I cannot help you with the field of study since I'm not quite proficient in science myself but I can always cater to you."

"Oh, cool. Thanks," long hours of being absorbed in medical books had slowed Erika's brainpower down seemingly, "But how do I make use of it?"

Her father's nose crinkled in disbelief, "Firstly, come up with several hand seals," instructed him. Noticing that his daughter didn't move a muscle, he frowned, "Now."

Spontaneously, Erika formed hand seals consisted of the Boar and the Dog, the simplest ones since Kiyoshi didn't go into detail about the acceptable seals.

Luckily, Kiyoshi didn't make a federal case out of her chosen hand seals. "Those will be the passcode to summon this scroll," elaborated the ANBU commander.

"Thanks for the idea, Otou-san! With this scroll, I won't show my face ever again to the rude librarian. Maybe I'll be studying in the park tomorrow, or in the woods? Good luck with trying to locate me then," the black look Kiyoshi gave tickled her in some way, "Just kidding!" Erika added.

* * *

Itachi had become accustomed to his previous mission; not performing it a day deep down made him feel incomplete and he openly hated a half-finished result. For that reason, he decided to watch Erika from afar after he completed his mission today.

The team he was assigned into was again under Kakashi's command and he was earnestly grateful of it—they had found their dynamics long before his sudden removal from the team, meaning the probability of succeeding the mission would also not be higher but briefer. To sum up, he couldn't wait for seeing his former classmate even from a distance.

At the same time, Itachi felt rather guilty for secretly observing her without notice. Despite that, Erika looked awfully serious while she was perusing the medical textbook, he didn't have the heart to disturb her in the slightest. But then again, he was partially intrigued whether Erika was sincerely keen on the subject or she was in fact, forcing herself to concentrate because of her freshly declared aspiration.

At first, Itachi had a hard time finding the commander's daughter's whereabouts since she didn't seem to be hiding behind one of the bookshelves. But after a while of searching, he spotted her stretching out her legs on the bench in the park, paying close attention to a specific scroll. Every time a parent passing her by with their children hand in hand, they would drag their children away because Erika looked as though she was going to perform the summoning technique. Little did she know the parents had been keeping their children's away from her.

"Erika-chan!" Exclaimed a familiar voice.

The auburn-haired girl turned her head aside, "You're late, Natsu!"

 _Oh, the Hyūga maid._ Itachi recalled. Wait. Since Erika spared some time to meet up with her closest friend, he no longer saw the use of hiding himself away at this rate. But would it be unnatural to arrange a meeting for no particular reason? What if Erika asked—oh, he had learned by heart how she would put it into words. Initially, she would put her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly to the side, " _What brings you here, Uchiha?"_ Uchiha. Uchiha. Uchiha. When would she start calling him by his first name?

"My bad. Had a full plate dealing with the sisters at home," answered Natsu. "I am not bothering you, aren't I? What were you up to before I got here, still studying?"

"Nope. Actually, I need a distraction so bad right now, or else my head might explode in no time," Erika continued, "How are the sisters doing? Hanabi-sama isn't giving you a hard time, is she?"

"Yes, she is. You'll be stunned if I tell you this; Hanabi-sama misses you so much. I bet she would tag along if I'd told her I'm meeting you," announced the Hyūga maid, "Why did you suddenly decide to pursue medical ninjutsu anyway?"

"Because I won't allow the same treatment Okaa-san received to be given to others," Erika explained, "If I kept holding my potential in by staying inside my comfort zone, who else would save their lives?"

"You cannot continually accuse the medics of your mother's death, Erika-chan. Do not resent them. Do you think Sakuya-san ever wanted you to take revenge for her?"

"I'm not taking revenge against anybody, Natsu. I'm willing to turn the existing hospital policy and procedures for the better."

"It has the same meaning. Your way of paraphrasing my whole sentence has brighter connotations of my advance notice." Natsu pointed out.

"Why are you against my decision whereas Hiashi-sama and my father approved of it?" Erika's hand squeezing her arm, "Drop it already, Natsu. I didn't invite you to argue with me."

"You might not be aware of it since the event took place before you were born. But I remember it clearly; Hiashi-sama completely put his trust in your father, Kiyoshi-san . However, do you notice why they seem cold, distant to one another now? Because Hiashi-sama could no longer trust a man who has chosen the village over the clan. I'm telling you this for your own sake, Erika-chan. Please consider it before it's too late."

"The clan this and the clan that, it's always about the clan. What good has the clan ever done to you, Natsu? Since we both are branch members, the similarity we share should make us easier to relate, should it not? Have you not had enough of the pressure they've been giving us on? How much of value does the main family regard us as not to think twice about sacrificing us when they are exposed to danger? See the world from the bigger picture, Natsu and you'll achieve big in return."

"Apart from the similarity you mentioned, want to know what else we share in common? Our destiny, which is held in the stars." Countered Natsu.

Most branch members put on false fronts when they were coming face to face with the main family as a rule. Hyūga Erika wasn't the only evidence Itachi could provide with but the real Hyūga Natsu took him by surprise. The maid left an impression that she had a patience of a saint every time she dealt with Hanabi but now Itachi knew it was all merely an act. Inasmuch as there was actually an invisible thin line that the branch members could not ever cross while confronting the main family, no matter how vicious they treated them. In the beginning, Itachi thought Erika was the most obnoxious branch member who had gone too far with disciplining her young master but she unexpectedly turned out to be the most genuine of them all. To say the least, Erika's tongue was automatically programmed to include the suffix when she was addressing any main family members. Little did she know her habit had saved her from time to time.

"Not in the stars, Natsu. But in ourselves." Erika's hazel eyes landed on the horizon, the sky was pink and the sharp prongs of bare trees had ripped a hole in the clouds. "To make myself clear once again, no, I'm not changing my mind. You might have noticed that I'm avoiding any conflicts between us, so it's better for us not to bring such a sensitive topic up by the time we cross each other's path again."

"Thank you, Natsu for spending the afternoon with me. Even though we raised our voices without even realizing, it's been a while since I made social interaction with other people besides the rude librarian and my father, ya know." In her arrogant triumph, Erika smirked. Turning her body around, she walked away while waving at her old friend.

"Do you want to come over for dinner, Erika-chan?" Natsu called out worriedly, "Hanabi-sama will be pleased to see you!"

"Otou-san's waiting for me at home," announced the younger Hyūga, "Say hi from me to Hanabi-sama!"

It was a relief to hear that the commander had finally made up with his only daughter. If truth be told, Itachi had guessed that good thing might be currently happening with Kiyoshi, seeing that he'd been returning home quite frequently one of these days, even neglecting the paperwork scattered to the four winds. Not only the commander who had been reaping benefits from the reconciliation, Erika also appeared to react to her surroundings positively lately. For all that, she still forgot to get rid of her unintended clumsiness as far as Itachi could tell.

How. In the world. Could a person leave their most essential belongings behind? On a bench, to boot. After winning an argument with her best friend.

At the last minute, Itachi came to a decision to pick the scroll up for the sake of Erika passing the exam with flying colors. Moreover, the forgotten scroll had given him all the more reason to meet its owner once again.

* * *

Erika began to panic once she found out her scroll was missing. Noticing that his daughter had been carelessly tossing her personal possessions around after they had done eating dinner, Kiyoshi walked casually into her room to inspect the situation.

His hand caught one of Erika's stuffed animals in time before it hit his face, "What's with this mess, seriously?" He shook his head in disbelief.

Erika shifted her gaze to her father, "Otou-san, do you happen to know where my scroll is?"

"Look, you weren't home the entire day, you won't find it here." Reminded the ANBU commander.

"You're right," disappointment glinted in her hazel orbs, Erika slamming her back down her bed, "I lost it!"

"I have plenty of empty scrolls in my room, you can grab yourself a new one—"

"The materials, Otou-san!" Suddenly, she rose to her feet, "I've outlined every difficult word I found in the textbook neatly. And I lost it just like that…"

Kiyoshi turned his face aside and sighed, "Calm down first…" comforted him, "Where did you go before coming home?"

"I was studying in the park."

"Have you tried to look for it there?"

Timidly, Erika shook her head.

To Erika's surprise, her father patted her shoulders all of a sudden, causing her back to straighten up on impulse. "Fetch it. Can you do it on your own?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"Why are you not making a sound? Are you mum?" Kiyoshi frowned, "I'll catch up to you if you don't get here before 8."

Just when Erika was practically standing a meter away from the door and prepared for going and getting the scroll she left in the park, she was taken by surprise to discover Itachi situated behind the door, his knuckle close to knocking on the door.

"What brings you here, Uchiha?" She began, her eyes enlarging in surprise.

Itachi backed away, as though he forgot his original intention of dropping by, "Here." He handed over the scroll Erika had been looking for.

"Where did you pick it up? How did you know I was looking for it—" the commander's daughter looked back cautiously, making sure her father didn't step in their instant reunion. She murmured, "Want to go for a walk? It won't be long, though. Otou-san said I still have time until 8 p.m."

"Are you not involved in studying at the moment? Isn't the entrance exam only a few months ahead?" Itachi reminded.

"For your information, I've been studying the whole day," she stepped out of her house and led the way confidently, "Let's go."

"I made a promise with Sasuke to help him with his homework tonight," lied the young ANBU, "I can't stay for long."

Her lips curved slightly downward, "Are you sure to decline my offer? We won't have enough time to hang out again after this."

"Where do you think you're going, missy?" As expected, Kiyoshi intervened before his daughter took a step further. He added, "Itachi has kindly delivered the scroll to you, you should at least let the thoughtful guest in."

"Forget about the offer. Thanks to your slow response, Uchiha," muttered Erika before faking a smile, "Do you want to come in?"

"Perfect timing, Sir! There is something I want to ask you about."

 _Great. He's ignoring me now._

"Come in, come in. Make yourself at home, Itachi." Kiyoshi gestured the guest to enter the house. On the other hand, he instructed his daughter, "Serve him anything to drink, Erika. What do we have?"

"He's just paying a short visit, Otou-san, there's no need to serve him anything," as she passed by and her eyes met Itachi's, she gazed away.

"It seems that tonight will be my turn to wash the dishes, does it not?"

"Okay then," Erika directed her gaze back to Itachi, "What do you want to drink?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," he refused politely. "I don't intend to stay for long."

"I told you." Raising her eyebrows, Erika's back shrunk from sight and disappeared after the door was slammed.

She thought she would be able to continue studying in her secluded room, but the indistinct noise her father and his subordinate were making outside distracted her attention from the scroll. The only audible sound she perceived was her father's heartfelt laugh, complimenting his valued subordinate, "You just can't wait for your next mission tomorrow, that's why you came a long way here?" _Nonsense._ Perhaps she should come out of her room dramatically and jog Itachi's memory of helping his beloved little brother with his homework. In the end, she decided to stay in her room and stared at her recently found scroll.

It took her no time to pinpoint the last sentence she had interpreted. Her eyes continued running over the summary she made slowly but surely until she discerned a mysterious circle she had never drawn before along these lines. _Congestive Heart Failure (CHV): divided into left and right-sided failure. Left-sided causes included ischemia, hypertension, dilated, yadda yadda yadda._ Her eyes stopped in their tracks as the last phrase was brought to the fore. The veins in her either temple bulged—her Byakugan was almost activated without being asked. There was a side note after the last period, stating: "Don't abbreviate. Your handwriting is unladylike already."

 _How. Dare. You. Insult my personalized font, Uchiha!_ Erika's palms struck the desk, supporting her body to be upstanding. She could've sworn by the time the door was open, the lamp in her living room would be the last ray of light he ever saw. Her tread was heavy and loud by design, giving the poor Uchiha a clear sign that he was at death's door.

Just when she had thrown the door wide, revealing herself, Itachi was no longer present in the living room. Erika gazed around, catching sight of Kiyoshi washing the dirty dishes that had not been touched for almost a week.

"Did you kick him out?"

* * *

Several months went by quickly, the first part of the entrance exam that was a written test had long passed and this very day, the test results would be announced. It was the beginning of the year. As of last year, Erika remembered she was making an excuse to be able to curl her limp body up under Hiashi's warm kotatsu but there she was, walking back and forth in front of the hospital gate, unable to take it easy at all.

"Have you gotten your result?" Began Kiyoshi.

Gradually, people started swarming around the announcement board near the front entrance of the hospital. _The results must have been posted by now_. Erika clenched her fists, her fingers stabbing in her palms. She got a feeling that she wouldn't pass somehow. The written test was… well; she could barely remember the problems and her solutions to those. If today was indeed her lucky day, maybe her score would not be as satisfying, lowest but still certified—looking on the brighter side, the Lady Luck permitted her to go ahead this time, to say the least.

But she heard the second part would be much more difficult than the previous part. For that reason, she had gotten everything set beforehand that in case she made it, she would do some volunteer work at the hospital. Since the second part of the entrance examination was regarding how you put your medical knowledge into practice, Erika couldn't think of a better alternative than to offer her services in the actual situation.

Just the same, what if she didn't make it? She had to cancel everything, it went without saying.

"It's too crowded, Otou-san," she threw an eye on the crowd, "I'll check it out after they leave."

"What's the purpose of possessing the Byakugan then?" Hinted Kiyoshi, setting his Byakugan in motion as soon as that.

"You know how limited my Byakugan's field of view is—"

"Oh, you got the highest mark!"

" _What_?!" Pushing her limits, Erika operated her Byakugan and had to narrow her eyes to see clearer. Her father wasn't kidding—she unbelievably came through the written test with flying colors!

Leaping for joy, she babbled, "I nailed it, Otou-san! I still can't believe it! This is my biggest achievement so far in my entire life!" She halted her jumping, her hands reaching for his father's full of hope, "I'll be working voluntarily at the hospital tomorrow, Otou-san. I'm going to confirm my application for a moment. You can go to work at ease, I'll see you at home!"

"That rascal." The proud father sniggered.

"You unusually show signs of being in a good mood today, Sir," commented Kakashi while stopping by the commander's office. "Did you find a dime by chance while on your way?"

"Better than a dime, Kakashi," The man in his late 30s bragged, "My daughter, Erika did really well on the Medic Corps entrance exam. She obtained the top score!"

Erika's name drew Itachi's attention at the moment he was accompanying his captain to give an account of today's mission. The good news resulted in his mouth twitching upward, let alone a hard time he had suppressing a smile.

* * *

She spent most days in the emergency room. Every day was hectic in her new workplace. People came and went like there was no tomorrow—if you'd like to be where men, women, and children cried the loudest, Erika would recommend the hospital corridor. The hardest part of her job (and probably the worst) was to explain to any innocent children that their family members had passed away. When they asked where was the stopping place of the dead, she couldn't give an answer to that. Because she herself had no clue where Sakuya went after she breathed her last. Did she transform into a beautiful angel like the bedtime stories always portrayed? Had she met her maker and watched over her loved ones from above? If only Erika had the answer.

Despite the challenge to tell the unwanted truth to the unworldly children, Erika genuinely found giving medical care to people enjoyable. Since she was one and the only medic who was capable of applying the Mystical Palm in the midst of civilian medical practitioners, they hinged on her analysis more often than not. Recently, she had also discovered that her limited-range Byakugan could be maneuvered to diagnose the detailed parts and structures inside the patient's body. As a result, her coworkers began having the air of appreciating her attendance more thanks to her second-rate visual prowess.

"A handsome man was rushed to the hospital due to excessive usage of his eye technique," the senior nurse told Erika out of the blue, "I heard he's in the ANBU."

Pretending to be unfazed, Erika inquired, "How old he looks like?"

"Age is just a number, Erika-chan," teased the 30s woman, "He's noticeably older than you, apparently."

 _Thank goodness it's not Uchiha._ Erika breathed out a sigh of relief.

"He was transferred into room 301, if you're eager to know," the mature woman glanced at her wristwatch, "Oh, it's about time his dressing needs to be changed. Would you like to take this opportunity, Erika-chan?"

"Y-you do know I cannot turn down your request," she stuttered before giving in, "Fine."

 _To tell you the truth, Hatake-san, I don't get how everyone's crazy about your looks._ Erika's eyes moved back and forth from the copy of the patient's medical records to her masked patient. Indeed. Hatake Kakashi, the ANBU whose appearance had received praises from all the nurses and female doctors here had a dark-colored mask covered more than half of his face. And everyone could still be of the same opinion that he was good-looking. It could be that one of the nurses felt like being playful that day and decided to pull off his mask stealthily and spread the rumor. It could be.

However, Erika would only be perjuring herself if she denied that this patient had an ideal figure. His arms were muscular, but not too much to drive her inclination away. A pair of arms that would definitely make you feel secure and homely at the same time. Her eyes shifted to his defined jawline, couldn't help herself but stare in awe at it for the time being. Before long, Erika got her head together and kept reminding herself to stop fantasizing about her patient.

The silver-haired man was sleeping soundly as yet. His medical records stated that he was suffering from PTSD, causing him to lose some sleep from time to time. Because of that, Erika didn't have the heart to wake him up whereas she was obliged to change his dressing. Eventually, she was left with no option but to remove his mask while he was still unconscious.

Just when she was prepared for gently taking the patient's mask off, his eyelids unexpectedly shuddered.

"I'm sorry, Hatake-san," Erika began, "I have no choice but to remove your mask in order to get your bandage changed."

His eye glinted in sorrow, "Rin…?"

 _This man has gotten to be delirious._

* * *

author's note: hi i'm back after a short while with a new chapter! had so much fun writing this. i'm so ready to bring erika and itachi together. my babies! aren't they look cute together? look at how this tsundere being open and acted comfortable around itachi who is still confused about his feelings :3 btw the outline erika gave is actually taken from a medical textbook "Fundamentals of Pathology" by Sattar. including the ideas in this chapter gives the impression of me being such a smartass, does it not? oh, i personally like the description about kakashi best cuz he's undeniably hot. are you guys with me? btw i'm begging of my silent readers to leave me a review from now on, pretty please?


	10. At Your Own Risk

**Chapter Ten** : At Your Own Risk

Before Erika knew it, they'd immersed themselves in a staring competition. The look her patient was giving was far from intense—as a matter of fact, it was blank at glance but if she were to dig into his greyish eye, a deep sorrow mixed with an unexpressed sigh of relief were hidden behind it. In a little while, the bedridden ANBU broke off his stare, letting Erika become the victor in this foolish unintended staring competition they held.

"Sorry," was the first thing he said after returning to consciousness. "I mistook you for someone I know."

"No problem. I'd rather put the blame on this common face of mine," Erika chuckled, "That's the first impression I leave on everyone."

The fact that Kakashi didn't react, let alone make a response to her prelude caused extreme discomfort to her pride. It was the feeling of being stepped on the toes if Erika were to describe it. Still swallowing her pride, she gave it another try, "You… you must be wanting to see her so much. That Rin person," a hesitant smile rolled over her lips, "Would you mind if I call her?"

"She's passed away long ago."

 _That's not how you raise your patient's spirits._ Lesson learned.

"My apologies," she had to borrow Itachi's catchphrase this time, "I didn't know that—"

"Of course you wouldn't know that," interrupted the ANBU captain, "it was all in the past."

An awkward pregnant pause invaded the room. Erika unknowingly tightened her grip on the clipboard before trying to break the ice once again, "I'm asking—"

"Have we—" Kakashi held his tongue just when Erika began to speak at the meantime, "You can go on."

Erika coughed, "I'm asking your permission for changing your dressing. Shall we start now?"

"Do you not want to know which features of yours that bear a resemblance of Rin?" Her patient suspiciously folded his built arms.

"There are still several patients waiting to be treated, Hatake-san…" frowned the assertive intern, "Could I also ask for your cooperation, please?"

"I'll let you change my bandage on one condition," Erika paid more attention to what favor her patient would ask her, "Do not remove my mask."

 _Cooperation_. She sighed at her previous request. If only she hadn't asked for it, she wouldn't have to be afflicted by not doing Kakashi a good turn, would she? A stumbling block disguising itself as a patient like him put her reason of becoming a true medical-nin to test. Come to think of it, she was still exceptionally lacking in forbearance, despite she had been doing volunteer work at the hospital for quite some time now. And the more she had qualms about herself, the more threat posed to her persistence in attempting at joining the Medic Corps.

Looking on the bright side, a patient similar to Kakashi generated wild ideas she would've never imagined before. As luck would have it, the hospital supplied stacks of germ-free surgical masks in the storeroom that were usually used for performing a surgery. Perhaps Erika could fetch it and replace Kakashi's current mask with it so that it would refrain him from making a noise effectively. Scratch _that_. He never took off his mask yet he could still make an absurd request.

"Fine. I'll get you another mask," said Erika before heading to the storeroom.

"Did you see his face?" Asked one of the nurses, who was blatantly infatuated with the ANBU captain. She had been listening eagerly to Erika's story without missing out on any pieces of information.

"Nope," the intern continued, "I had to turn around while he was changing his mask."

"What a pity," the hopeless romantic stood up from her seat, "It's settled. I'll be the one getting his dressing changed after this. And if he asks for another surgical mask, I'll let him know that we're running out of it."

"Sure, go ahead," Erika nodded without a doubt. Before long she realized where the nurse was heading, she called again, "Hey, he just got his bandage changed a while ago. Don't you think it is a bit too soon to change it again?"

"No need to worry, Erika-san, I only want to check up on him." The widowed nurse waved at her cheekily, grinning from ear to ear. It had not been more than a couple of minutes since her coworker left for Kakashi's room and shortly afterward, a deafening holler abruptly caught in her ear, causing her to rush to the patient's room without delay.

Erika couldn't help but cover her mouth shockingly after she had arrived on the scene. Another man who was clothed in ANBU uniform was helping her most difficult patient slip out of his black pants carefully. After realizing that they both were caught red-handed by not only one but TWO medical practitioners, the other ANBU whose shameful name was still unknown stuttered as he tried to explain, "Don't get the wrong idea! I'm only helping him—"

"Actually, I have a preference for men."

Hearing Kakashi's alibi, the nurse whose heart was broken fainted.

"Mayumi-san!" Erika took hold of her coworker's body in time before her head hit the floor.

"I'm still into women!" denied Kakashi's lover, "It's all your fault, Senpai!"

Erika shut her eyes for a moment to clear her mind. Who would have thought things would end up like this? She wasn't sure which problems worth solving more, Kakashi turning out to have a liking for men or her coworker passing out. As far as Erika was concerned, she didn't take an interest in her patient's love life and her coworker's state was more at risk. Although her ego kept reminding that this nurse refused to tend to her dying mother once. This woman was one of the suspects of Sakuya's tragedy in a roundabout way. Did she still have all the more reason to care for her? Yes, her aspiration. And this was only the starting point of all the difficulties she would have to be faced with in the near future.

"Are you Hatake-san's guardian?" Erika began, "I'd like to discuss something important regarding Hatake-san's condition after I take care of Mayumi-san."

"I would like to clarify something _crucial_ , too and stand up for myself…" the ashamed ANBU bowed his head deeper than he was supposed to.

* * *

The ANBU who introduced himself as Tenzō never left Erika's side in the wrong place at the wrong time. Walking behind the occupied intern who was giving medical care to the patients in the emergency room, Kakashi's guardian wouldn't stop explaining his sexual orientation and actual relationship with the ANBU captain. If Erika didn't bother to make a response after he finished giving an excuse, he would likely to repeat the same chronology over again from the beginning until she opened her mouth.

"I understood you are perfectly normal and still interested in women, Tenzō-san," commented Erika. "But you shouldn't have gone on a mission with him in the first place and even helped someone who was capable of performing an ANBU-level mission easily take off his pants."

"I – I'm telling you the truth, Erika-san! We were given a mission and Kakashi-senpai insisted that we should accomplish it pretty damn quick because he would be finished if the medics discovered he wasn't in his room. Being stupid he was, he re-injected the IV drip back first before changing into his gown and I had no choice but to help him take off his pants. And the bad timing allowed the first nurse to sneak a look at us while I was in the middle of helping him remove his tight pants."

"I heard you loud and clear, Tenzō-san," Erika breathed out a sigh, "But you don't have to tell the same story repeatedly. You'll end up spreading a rumor about yourself if you continue."

"That's why I'm making myself clear—"

"Name the man who assigned this mission to Hatake-san."

Tenzō paused for a split second, lost for words, "It's the commander, your father."

"I'll inform him about Hatake-san's health condition so that he can take a rest until his body's fully recovered."

"For that reason, I decline to show myself at the hospital ever again," concluded the Mokuton user after telling the origin of his phobia about visiting their troublesome captain to the youngest, obedient ANBU member, "I doubt the commander's daughter has reported on Kakashi-senpai's state since he still instructed Senpai to come along with us. You'll go and get him this time."

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Is Kakashi-taichou in critical condition? Didn't he merely overuse his Sharingan?"

The older ANBU shrugged, "I have no clue. Maybe she's just like the other nurses who have a big crush on Senpai, that's why she wished to see him around."

Suddenly, Itachi's chest burned with irrational feelings that he himself could not comprehend. He held his breath not for long and pursed his lips. Which aspect of Kakashi that Erika considered appealing? As for himself, he sincerely thought highly of his captain, especially when he said he would risk his neck to protect his comrades. Apart from Kakashi's outstanding leadership skills, he also had more experience in the combat zone, giving him the advantage. But Erika hadn't witnessed the ANBU captain swing into action—she barely knew him. The Kakashi she knew so far was flat on his bed. What else fascinated her then?

"Itachi," called his senior, "Do you mind?"

Why did he feel insecure about himself all of a sudden? Where did the insecurity come from anyway? "Not at all," answered the Uchiha plainly. In the end, he decided to see it for what it really was.

Looking through the window, it appeared that the ANBU captain was absorbing himself in reading the adult book that Tenzō always warned Itachi about staying away from it. After making sure the only chakra he could sense was Kakashi's, the young ANBU brought himself to knock on the glass quietly, signaling his captain to slide it open. Getting no response, he knocked again, this time harder. Until the window finally slid open as he wished, but not by whom he intended to reach for.

"Look who's paying you a visit, Hatake-san. To the amusement of me, he comes from the window," greeted Erika with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice, "So not raising suspicion in my mind!"

Kakashi directed his attention from the book for a while, "Because of that I didn't get to the window, Itachi."

"Not you too, Uchiha," the commander's daughter exhaled deeply and wearily, "What is it again? Does Hatake-san have another mission? Tell the commander he's not going."

Since when did Erika become this defensive all of a sudden? She never cared for Hanabi as much. Itachi's head tilted to the side, ignoring the intern's presence, "You look perfectly fine to me, Taichou. I thought your condition would be much worse."

"I feel perfectly fine myself as well," the patient added, "When will I be discharged, _Sensei_?"

Erika's cheeks went pink for no earthly reason, "Y-you should have been discharged yesterday if you hadn't gone against my restriction to go on the last mission!"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Until you're completely restored to health, of course," she held her chin up.

Itachi disliked it. He was unable to bear the argument they were having. It reminded him of short-ago memories of Erika taking issues with every little thing he did wrong. It felt like yesterday yet seemingly, she had found a replacement for his former position. Be that as it may, the first thing he wanted was to split them up even though he felt apprehensive as to how he would actualize it.

"Actually, ANBU has been suffering from a shortage of competent members nowadays," the Uchiha ANBU explained, "Those who are considered competent either perished or turned their backs on the Leaf. Because of that, the commander, your father still requires the presence of Kakashi-taichou on the mission. At this rate, we cannot let our fallen comrades increase in number. The only way out is in the hand of you, either you will let Taichou fight along with us or let the ANBU lose more lives."

"What if Hatake-san doesn't sustain himself?"

"I assure you he will," Itachi stared deeply into her eyes, "He doesn't have to use his Sharingan on this mission onward. I will use mine effectively."

She pressed her lips together before coming out with, "Very well then." Almost unnoticeably, her mouth stretched into a smile, "Carry it out at your own risk, Hatake-san."

Hatake-san. Hatake-san. It was always Hatake-san. _Do I have to injure myself to be worthy of your care, Erika-san?_

"Thanks, but you didn't have to go that far by lying to her," expressed the ANBU captain, catching up with his fit junior. "It's true that we lost countless excellent members but we've also recruited a number of skillful ones."

"I did so at my own risk." Said Itachi before going past the copy-nin.

* * *

Tomorrow, the second part of the entrance exam would be held, making this very day the last day of her service at the hospital. Erika had been given permission to leave early to review the materials at home. Luckily, the emergency room wasn't too hectic today, giving her a chance to bid adieu to her coworkers and patients.

Room 301 unintentionally became her last stopping place. The first time the strictest intern of the Konoha Hospital showed her face today, she came up with a teaser. "Is no one picking you up today, Hatake-san?"

The ANBU captain looked away from his book on his lap, "Where am I at exactly? The academy?" He returned the question sardonically, which resulted in his caregiver for the time being laughing her heart out.

"You don't have the appearance of being a bookworm at all," commented Erika.

"You won't call me a bookworm after finding out what I'm actually reading."

Without notice, the young intern had stood behind him, " _You know it's going to be good, don't you, baby? He whispers. I close my eyes as my insides uncoil and melt_ ," she innocently read a line of his precious Icha Icha book out loud before glaring at the older man, "You - you've been reading porn this whole time?!"

Kakashi's cheeks flushed and spontaneously, he slid the mature book down from his lap and hid it under the blanket, "I – I – It's not porn! It's a work of literature."

The awkward silence filled the room. Erika coughed, "Today is my last day offering my services to this hospital. Y-you won't meet me again after this so I guess your secret is safe with me."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm entering the Medic Corps."

"We'll bump into one another more often then."

"Oh," answered her. "Then more opportunity for me to make known how dirty-minded you are."

At the end of the day, she came back with a silly smile plastered on her face. Her arms were stretched out to the sky as the wind blew on her strands of hair, tickling her cheeks. The burden that weighed down on her shoulders before was no more; she was as free as whispering air. Her mind wasn't put at rest because she simply had gotten her volunteer work over and done with. On the contrary, she couldn't erase those wholehearted thankful smiles her patients flashed at her while announcing her departure from the hospital. She might not be able to keep some of her critical patients alive or bring the dead back to life, because either life or death was uncontrollable and actually dependent on the patients' will to live. Even so a doctor was merely the medium, whether the patient wished to fight along or go to their last resting place, still, she held their endeavor in high regard.

Nevertheless, Erika was nowhere near attaining her true aspiration as yet since she still had to face the second part of the entrance exam the next day. That being the case, she took the initiative to seat herself on the riverbank of Naka River while reviewing the medical thesis. Nonchalantly, her hands formed the required hand seals to summon her legendary scroll. Much to her surprise, various side notes were distributed over the scroll! Why did she get a feeling that she knew who could have impolitely written on her scroll?

" _I wish you luck for tomorrow. Have confidence in yourself."_

" _I can see now why you care very much for Kakashi-taichou. He is a senior I have a high opinion of after all, by all means, he will take a good care of you."_

" _Do you remember Tenzō-san? He told me the book Taichou usually reads at leisure would get you addicted. For the first time in a while, he was not lying."_

" _It's unfair. You don't wish to see me get into the hospital yet you won't let him discharge."_

" _According to Kakashi-taichou, he couldn't wait to be released from the hospital. Maybe you should listen to your patient for once."_

" _I'm not certain of which one is correct: Kakashi-taichou has been making things difficult for you or the opposite?"_

" _Congratulation on passing the exam with flying colors! Still, do not get cocky."_

To her amazement, she wasn't irate to discover her instrument of learning had been scratched off here and there. The first thing crossed her mind immediately was as to why Itachi hinted at being jealous of her patient, to all appearances. Perhaps jealous wasn't an appropriate word for the oh-so-mighty Uchiha—from where a medic to be stood, he didn't seem to have a jealous bone in his body. If truth be told, Kakashi was her least favorite patient—he was disobedient, it went without saying and perverted on the quiet, to boot. Because of his lack of cooperation also, she was left with no option but to pay more attention to the ANBU captain.

For all that, Erika didn't wish Itachi to continue getting the wrong idea about Kakashi. She wasn't getting her hopes up all of a sudden; of course, she was fully aware of the line they both could never cross. Itachi was… a very valuable _friend_ she could never afford to lose. Just a friend…? She kept reassuring herself—her feelings, to be exact. If someone were to draw the line at the relationship they were stuck in, she had gotten to be that someone.

Without a second thought, Erika rose to her feet and ran as quick as her legs could carry her, neglecting the scroll when she clearly knew someone wouldn't bother to pick it up again for her. But she didn't care—her main focus was to locate Itachi and have a private talk with him. She had a hard time tracking him down the last time she did so in order to get him to interpret her mother's hidden message. It took her almost a day, more or less and to make matters worse, the night was nearly fallen, _where could Itachi be at this moment in time?_

At the end of the line, she saw him go in the same direction as her. Additionally, he wasn't alone; like a duckling following wherever its mother went, Sasuke walked behind him.

"Uchiha!" Her roar drew the brothers' attention, "The older one," she pointed out. "Can we – can I have a minute?"

After persuading Sasuke to return home first, Itachi came behind Erika who was guiding him across the road a short distance from the Naka River. Neither of them bothered to make a sound along the way. To Itachi's way of thinking, it could be the soon-to-be medical-nin was feeling nervous about tomorrow's examination, for that reason she wasn't being herself at the moment. Consequently, he had to make an effort to start a conversation with her first.

"You've done your best. There is no need to be nervous about," comforted the Uchiha ANBU, "Also, good luck for tomorrow."

"There is no need to be nervous about?" Erika copied his intonation almost perfectly, "Explain yourself as to why you scribbled my treasured scroll and how you got it."

"So you've read them all."

Her glare was fixated on the playing innocent culprit as she stepped forward. She hated it. She actually hated it when she had to lift her chin a little bit higher so that she could stare furiously straight into his onyx eyes. _Since when did he grow this tall?_ Noticing that the top of her face was at close quarters to the tip of his nose, she poked his forehead on impulse to give herself a wide berth to breathe.

"What was that for?" Protested the ANBU boy.

 _For getting taller drastically, duh!_ "For stealing my scroll and leaving side notes all over it!"

"Don't make assumptions, Erika-san. I never stole it in the first place."

"Me? Making assumptions? Ha. Speak for yourself, Uchiha!" She objected, "First things first, I'm going to reply to your absurd side notes one by one patiently, so listen carefully until the end. Oh, if I happen to forget to include something— _my apologies_ , just let me know. Say it to my face, not on the scroll. Got it?"

"Okay, let's get it started. Thank you, really. I thought I would have failed and been prepared myself for taking another opportunity next year. So don't worry, I've eaten a humble pie. Actually, you and Tenzō-san and my father were the ones making things way more difficult than it already was with Hatake-san. So screw you all! And I was always all ears when my patients had something they'd like to make a fuss about. Why didn't Hatake-san say anything to me? He seemed to be enjoying his time alone in his room. You should've known better why I didn't welcome you to the hospital, Uchiha, because I NEVER wish to see you get hurt. Are you satisfied with it? Okay, let's move on. Of course, I remember Tenzō-san, he left a lasting first impression on me. And I agree with him—stay away from porn if you still want to be my friend. Oh, I cared very much for all of my patients, for your information. It wasn't just _your_ Taichou. Why were you suddenly speaking highly of him anyway? And thanks again for the good wish. I'll do my best tomorrow."

"You got them all on the mark. As expected from you," Itachi stated further, "Is there anything else of great importance you still want to clarify?"

Erika froze as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Thanks for the helpful information, Erika-san," he filled in the silence before walking away. "Very well, if you'll excuse me."

"Why… why must you do this to me, Uchiha?"

Itachi spun his body around, "Pardon?"

"I wouldn't have thought someone could ever break down the walls I've built, especially when that someone turned out to be you. No, I'm not disappointed at all if you asked me," confessed her. "It's just… you challenged me for the better and I'm g-glad you did. Even so, you know inside out about me—I barely know anything about you. When I finally decided to swallow my pride to get to know you more, you always try to—seem to be pushing me away. I no longer have the faintest idea about drawing you closer to me. Maybe I shouldn't have… gotten my hopes up when you were just being kind to me, that's all. Because I'm just the commander's daughter and you didn't have a say in picking out the mission you were given."

This time was Itachi's turn to go rigid. Why did the tables have to be turned on him like this? He simply couldn't believe what he heard.

"I have no intention to push you away, Erika-san. _Forgive me_ if my strange behavior lately made you receive a false impression," he explained. "As for me, I'm still not sure why I'm not able to get my tongue around the words I had in mind when you are nearby. Because of that, I've been unknowingly avoiding you these days. If you notice, the way I strangely behaved toward you worsened when I saw you and Kakashi-taichou together. Taichou is like I stated on the scroll, a senior I look up to. At first, I considered him a perfect shinobi. But after I learned that you've been delaying his release from the hospital, I began to dig for his flaws, thinking that he was undeserving. To be completely honest, Erika-san, I don't wish to hold on to this state of mind for long. Since you are the root of the matter, perhaps you could give me a solution to turn me back to normal?"

"I'll help you find it instead. But first…" her cheeks burned up as her voice slightly decreased in volume, "I n-need to make sure of something."

Suddenly, Erika wrapped her arms around Itachi's waist, the side of her hot face resting on his chest. "Your heart rate quickened," said her as she broke off her embrace. "Th-these feelings aren't one-sided after all. It's—"

The Uchiha ANBU once again pulled the medic to be into another hug, "I didn't feel like letting go yet. Do you mind staying like this for a bit longer?"

Under these circumstances, the commander's daughter admitted defeat. Turning her head aside slightly, she quietly watched the horizon swallow down the warm bronze sunlight. Soon after, the bright sunny day engulfed in darkness—a beautiful and meaningful darkness altogether. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, awakening the nocturnal nature. As a result, Itachi loosened his embrace cautiously, his fingers delicately sneaking into the gaps between Erika's fingers to interlace them.

"We're going separate ways and that was _it_?" Demanded her, "Won't it be awkward by the time we meet again—"

"I like you a lot, Erika-san," Itachi got to the point, "Would like to be my girlfriend?"

"I – I hate you! H-how c-could you declare such an embarrassing thing so confidently?" She mumbled, "I thought we would go on several dates first before going steady..."

"Sure," he heard her. "We will go on a date every day to your liking after you say yes to me."

"Do I look like I have choices?"

"I'm not forcing you, Erika-san. I will go along with your answer even if it's—"

"I like you. I love you. I want to be with you forever if I can!" After realizing what she had blurted out shamefully, her hands blocked off her mouth without thinking.

Itachi gave a chuckle, "Already?"

That very minute, Erika's greatest desire was to vanish off the face of the earth, "…just pretend you didn't hear anything."

"I will," replied Itachi. "Can you repeat what you said previously?"

"Forget it. I'm breaking up with you."

"We haven't even started dating, Erika-san…"

It was supposed to be their first day. Be that as it may, since the night had fallen, Erika came to a decision that tomorrow would be a perfecter day to be involved officially with Uchiha Itachi.

"There's still a question I haven't gotten the answer yet, Uchiha," Erika mentioned as they arrived at the front door of her house, "How did you get hold of my scroll?"

* * *

author's note: hey, it's almost a year since this story was published. how time flies~ this chapter basically has so much fluff despite the genre being angst (or maybe it's gonna be changed into tragedy in the long run who knows) i decided to let erika have her moments once in a while since she's gone through enough. i also hope i didn't make itachi/kakashi too ooc here, especially the confession part! don't puke ok.

if you wonder how in the world itachi accessed erika's scroll, here's the secret - of course he didn't steal it. he summoned it. how so? have i mentioned that erika has a problem with memorizing things? that's why she used only 2 (simplest) hand seals to summon her scroll and itachi hadn't gotten rid of his stalking habit by that time, so it was a piece of cake for him to copy them.


	11. As a Last Resort

**Chapter Eleven:** As a Last Resort

Waiting for her turn was similar to biding her time for a doctor appointment. If Erika were to put the second entrance exam into words, she wouldn't hesitate to depict it as taking the patient's role. Each participant had to take turns at entering the examination room, given that they were only allowed to access it once the preceding participant had been cleared from the room. Consequently, integrity was put to the test in hope that the following medical practitioners wouldn't disclose classified information such as medical records in the field.

Erika got there in time as written on the advance notification. Unfortunately, her turn was the last in line seeing that she was the only one left in the empty corridor on her own. Her soles tap on the floor repeatedly and disturbingly enough. Restlessness striking, the long wait resulted in it. The proper strategy to get it over and done with was to experience the assessment to come.

"Hyūga Erika," notified the proctor, "You may enter the room."

The first thing she did without being asked was to throw an eye on her surroundings. If truth be told, the examination room was unreasonably spacious for a proctor handling a single applicant. Ray of light cracked through the window in the corner of the room, falling over the medical procedure chair as though it was giving prominence—a hint perhaps.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on making it to the second part of the entrance exam. My name is Shizune and I will be serving as the examiner of this ongoing test." Predictably, the woman in her early 20s led the way to the examination chair, "The difficulty of this test is conditional on you alone. All you have to simply do is follow my instructions. Before we start, make sure you lie back in a relaxed position on this chair."

Without a second thought, Erika did as the examiner said, leaning back in the patient chair.

"You will be put under a Genjutsu and you are strictly prohibited to break out of it without my permission. Fear not, this Genjutsu will situate you under the circumstances in which you have to find the most advantageous solution from your very point of view to the given problems. So far, so good?"

"How do I ask for your permission to regard my final solution as true?"

"I will be taking charge of the Genjutsu itself, Erika-san, including the state of affairs and the duration itself. However, your final solution will determine whether you will gain a pass in this exam or not." The corner of her mouth twitched faintly upward, "Why don't we start in a little while? For my part, I truly look forward to how the highest score achiever on the written test will put her medical knowledge into practice."

The explanation Shizune offered hinted at how Erika's eventual answer would be evaluated subjectively no matter how. If her answer somehow didn't live up to the examiner's expectations, sad to say that she would not make the grade on this second test. Having said that, she still would like to consider the high expectations Shizune ridiculously set as a motivating force. When was the last time she took on a _less_ pessimistic attitude for real?

"All set," announced Erika.

"Now close your eyes and take a deep breath."

* * *

"Erika-san."

Her back pressed hard against the pillar as she buried her tense face in the crook of his neck. His warm breath gave her ear a tickle, "It's over. Open your eyes now."

Just when her eyelids cracked open, Erika found out Itachi's figure had driven her petite body to a corner, his arm still wrapped around her waist. Spontaneously, she pushed him back, her eyes cautiously inspecting her clothes from head to heels—she was fully clothed as yet.

"U-uchiha! What were we doing?" She got to the point.

Itachi's head turned around, "There had been a serious earthquake striking. As you can see, _these_ are the damage it caused."

The furnishings seemed familiar to all appearances—how could she forget about the interiors of her own room? Be that as it may, the destructive earthquake had turned it into a place she could barely recognize. Kiyoshi wouldn't be very pleased with this scenery as much, recalling that he found fault with the way she decorated her room in the night before the written exam with tossing the scroll around. She sank her teeth into her lower lip, beginning to wonder where could her strict father be at this moment in time.

"Are you sure these were caused by a natural disaster? Not a really strong earth release attack?" Erika doubted as she gazed around emptily.

"Not a single soul would have such violent strength to be able to result in all these," explained Itachi. "If you are feeling rather fine now, let's head to the place of refuge and see if we can lend a hand."

" _What_? Why? We're all the victims of this incident, Uchiha! You must have hurt yourself while protecting me. I'm going to tend to your wound first if there's any, and then look for Otou-san everywhere."

"Because you are a part of Medic Corps and I'm also a member of Konohagakure ANBU," reminded him, his Sharingan glowing in the dark, "As long as we can still sustain ourselves, we will put our duty to be of service to the village first."

She did not bat an eyelash. In this virtual reality Shizune created, Erika noticed she had been accepted as a member of Medic Corps and apparently, her next (it could also be her _first)_ assignment, which would be evaluated in the actual reality was to come to the aid of the villagers in danger. All the same, these circumstances felt so true to life, triggering her to become a bit alert when she was well aware of it being completely made up, and no offense, _exaggerated_.

But what if she were to anticipate something unexpected?

"Stay safe," Itachi said before walking away.

 _Keep this in mind, this is_ not _real._ Unknowingly, she had been repeating it in her mind like a mantra.

Shortly after Erika arrived at the collapsed hospital, she located several tents set up in front of the building. Stretchers moved back and forth to each tent nonstop, carrying the injured party into the shelter. At the time she stopped in her tracks confusedly, incapable of making up her mind to set foot in which tent first, a quick tap on her shoulder drove her out of her self-absorption. "Did you hear? Shizune-taichou called us to attention." Told a man dressed in Medic Corps unappealing uniform.

Little did she know she was also dressed in the same uniform she thought of unappealing. "Of course," answered Erika without a doubt. "Um, you go first!"

The Medic Corps captain had presented herself in the front, passing over the two medics who had gotten there just now. "I'm glad to see all of you making it here. However, we cannot express our gratitude freely in this current state when our neighbors are very likely to strive for themselves, trapping in the rubbles and all. For that reason, I am gathering all of you here—to brief on our upcoming mission."

"The purpose of the mission itself is to come to the aid of the injured party. Find any survivals and transport them to the shelter. It's as simple as that. Nevertheless, the difficult part is to assign degrees of urgency to the patients," Shizune raised her hand, showing off different colored ribbons, "Put the red-colored ribbon on the Immediate, the yellow-colored one for the Delayed, the green will be put on the Minimal, and save the black ribbon for the Expectant."

"I needn't explain further as to how you would categorize your patients by the importance requiring swift treatment, inasmuch as I have every confidence in your capability of making the most sensible decisions as a medic. Relating to the mission, I haven't really mentioned what it is going to be. It goes without saying that we are rescuing the injured party but promise me one thing—no, take an oath that you will definitely return in one piece. I want to see and still be working together with all of you here in the future. If there are not any questions, then dismiss!"

At first, Erika had no difficulty in triaging the patients by picking out the appropriate ribbon for them. Possessing the Byakugan put her to an advantage over the accurate and timely diagnosis, not to mention more instantaneous decisions to be made. For all that, she had no clue about the denotation of the Expectant patient. _Is the black ribbon of any use?_ She was of the opinion that every patient who entered the medical tent was predominantly treatable. Regardless of how fatal the wounds were, she wouldn't think twice about tying the red ribbon onto their wrist. One of the rules governed the medical-nin indicated that no medic should give up on their patient's life, in virtue of it she refused to ever use the black ribbon even as a last resort.

The medics were divided into two operations, on the whole, either searching for any survivals on the scene or staying behind in the medical tent. Coming directly on the scene required more flexibility and whatnot, that being the case Erika opted for standing by in the tent instead. Besides, the tent was running short of medical practitioners at the moment. Almost everything went under control, until a familiar face showed up, crossing the threshold of the medical tent, linking arms with a certain man whose chest was stabbed with a giant piece of concrete, fresh blood gushing out from his chest.

"Where do I lie him down?" Kiyoshi panted.

"Here," Erika guided her father and the death-dealing patient to the nearest exam table. "Where did you find him, Otou-san?"

"Below ground," answered the ANBU commander. "Judging from where I came across him, I conclude he is one of the construction workers in charge of the new central post office. The concrete has also been pierced into his chest by that time. I'm afraid if I removed it, he could've been no more because of the excessive bleeding."

The medical-nin didn't respond right away, concentrating on the patient's vital signs. Her pupils dilated when she learned how faint her patient's vital signs were without having to activate her Byakugan. To make matters worse, the piece of concrete ruptured his high-cervical nerves, disabling most of his muscles (especially in the arm) to even make any movements. Erika glanced upward, looking at the painful expression the patient was making. The first and foremost thing to do was remove the concrete from his chest, but it was rather high-risk. The surgery needed at least two conscientious medics to perform. To be honest, she had doubts about pulling it off by herself, especially when she was hardly experienced in performing surgery alone. Even so, she didn't have the heart to envision her patient's no more coming times.

"Otou-san, can you watch this tent and the other patients for me? I'm going to operate on this patient." Without delay, she transferred the severely injured patient to the operating room.

The young medic could've sworn she followed the surgical procedure without error; then again, things didn't go smoothly as she wished. Initially, she managed to maintain the patient's body temperature and blood pressure to prevent him losing more blood during the surgery. Until she carefully took hold of the piece of concrete and pulled it away without hurrying, his blood pressure dropped drastically, causing her to turn down the anesthetic drugs on impulse.

"I'm sorry for bothering you but how long will the surgery take? A new patient has arrived and it seems someone has to amputate the limb any minute now!" Cautioned the ANBU commander in panic.

"I – I'm getting there! Oh, shoot—" Suddenly, blood began to pour out of one of her cuts within the patient. To her dismay, her hands sank into the internal body parts, nearing the source of bleeding and transmitting friendly green chakra to stop up the bleeding.

"Don't die on me. Please... Don't you dare die on me!"

The ECG monitor by the side of the operating table drew a flat line as it produced a long-lasting piercing sound. The long cut on the patient's chest had not been sewn up, her hands hovering over the open cut before curling up into a ball. Realizing that she was unable to resuscitate his heart under these circumstances, warm tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Erika-san! Why are you neglecting the patients in the medical tent?" Shizune sneaked into the operating room, moving closer to the table. "It appears that this patient didn't survive. I'm deeply sorry…" She reached for Erika's shoulder and squeezed it firmly yet gently, "But you _failed_ this second test."

"You failed me because I wasn't able to save the last patient on the operating table?" Protested Erika as soon as she was awakened from the Genjutsu the examiner cast. "I beg your pardon, I was unsuccessful in bringing the patient to life because I did the operation without the help of others. I carried it out _all alone,_ whereas in reality, it is practically impossible to perform surgery single-handedly. This test you put me to is certainly of no avail, seeing that we wouldn't likely to be faced with the way things stood there in real life."

An amused smile plastered on Shizune's face, "If you were already conscious of the fact that it was indeed impossible to operate on the patient, why did you still persist in it?"

"Because I had no choice! Did you expect me to let the concrete be stuck in his chest and see him suffer until he breathed his last?"

"I totally understand that you came to a decision to perform surgery on the mortally wounded patient, but what about the other patients you left in the tent? Did _you_ expect one of the patients' leg to be amputated on its own?"

"But the patient I paid more attention to deserved the immediate treatment more!"

"That was your huge initial mistake, Erika-san. You triaged your patients incorrectly." Pointed out Shizune, walking over to her desk.

The young medic narrowed her eyes with skepticism. "What do you mean I triaged them incorrectly?"

"What was that patient suffering from?"

"A piece of concrete stuck in his chest, damaging his high spinal cords."

"How many colors of the ribbons I provided you with and what are the implications of each color?"

"There were four colors. Red for the Immediate, yellow for the Delayed, green for the Minimal," recited Erika, "…and black for the Expectant."

"Exactly," Shizune nodded in all seriousness, "That patient was one of the Expectant."

The resentful applicant furrowed her brows as she stated, "Rule number one: no medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end. I believe the rule is not only applied on the battlefield but for _all_ patients regardless of where it takes place," she paused, "That rule is irrelevant in real practice, is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"Trust me it is not the same," denied the Medic Corps captain. "Getting back to my previous question, what were you going to do with the other patients who were also in need of treatment in the tent?"

"I intended to give medical care to them once I got the operation done," replied Erika. "You shouldn't have cut me off in the first place… I haven't gotten used to performing surgery on my own, having said that I'm fairly up to speed on treating minor injuries. You should have given me more time to prove it."

Shizune let out a sigh; "Still you were risking several lives to save one when you were in the know about the chances of making it."

"I didn't know," Erika denied. "In fact, I will never know until I give my best."

"Human life cannot be compared with trial and error, Erika-san."

"Where did you get that idea from, Shizune-san?" She raised her voice, glaring at the woman seated on her chair. "I value life more than any medics you ever took under your wing. Someone I cared very much for died because of the way of thinking a medic like you planted in their minds. They gave up on a patient whom they didn't even give a once-over to because she was merely a criminal. That's indeed my very own definition of neglecting the patient."

"Seemingly, you haven't seen my point at all when I have figured out whom you're talking about," the older woman leaned back, "It's regarding your late mother, Senju Sakuya, correct? I might not be present at the hospital when it all occurred but I heard all about it. Let me clarify this matter—first things first, we did not neglect her nor we let her lose her life on purpose. That's because we had anticipated that she might not be able to pull through even if we had given her treatment. Moreover, the emergency room was already in utter chaos before even Kiyoshi-san rushed her to the hospital, we already had enough on our plate at that time. Take note of this, Erika-san this will be your new learning: we can do nothing because we cannot play God. Doctors aren't simply designed for delaying the death of the patient but increasing a person's quality of life."

Refusing to accept the rejection, Erika slammed the door in Shizune's face while taking off.

* * *

Today mission was less complicated than usual much to Itachi's surprise, allowing him to accomplish it fleetingly. As soon as he reached Konoha, he ended up checking up on Erika without a second thought. Arriving at the hospital front gate, he leaned his back against the concrete wall as he waited for the commander's daughter to pass by the gate. His arms crossed over his chest, embracing his erratically beating heart. Fret not; Erika aced the written test when least expected. Certainly, she would sail through the second exam without exception as well. For all that, his quickened heart rate didn't show any signs of holding steady any minute now, as though he was getting a bad feeling about Erika not doing her best. Rumor had it the assessment of Medic Corps' second part entrance exam was unfairly subjective, depending on the first impression the participant made on the examiner. But a rumor meant nothing until the truth was spoken. Itachi could only deep down hope for a neutral assessor getting the measure of Erika's fact-based expertise.

By the time he was lost in thought, staring into space, he took no notice of Erika going past the gate. She appeared to be in a hurry as if someone was plausibly chasing after her—no, she had the air of avoiding him, if she was conscious of his presence in the first place.

"Wait!" The clearer she made out his voice, the wider the step she purposely took.

"What's wrong with you? Did the test go well?"

"Don't ask!" Erika started running as fast as her legs could carry her, provoking Itachi to go behind her.

He didn't force her to tell all here and now yet he kept up with her pace until she gasped, fighting for breath. Of course, he was mindful of her minimal stamina, for that reason he wasted no energy in yelling at her from behind. As her hands stretched out to her knees, propping her bent body, Itachi nonchalantly walked to her side so that he could get a glimpse of her glowing features.

"It is all right if you didn't pass," Itachi rubbed her back, showing sincere compassion, "If you are ready to talk about it or happen to need a shoulder to cry on, I will be there for you."

Without warning, Erika burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I never knew the likes of you could even tell a corny joke," complimented her half-heartedly in between her laugh.

"Unfortunately, this _rare_ side of me is only shown when you're having a bad day."

"Maybe I can actually take a break from being in a good mood once in a while," acknowledged the commander's daughter. She swallowed her saliva, looking away from Itachi's onyx orbs, "You… You've figured out, haven't you? That I—"

"Yes," nodded the Uchiha ANBU, "And you don't have to repeat it yourself if it hurts your feelings."

Erika sighed, "It's not possible to hide it from Otou-san then…" she turned to him hopefully, "Are you disappointed in me?"

"Not exactly," replied Itachi, "More like surprised, if you ask me."

"So am I," she agreed. "At first, I didn't expect that I would nail the written test. Perhaps I got overconfident and thought lightly of the second test. And then it happened… I still can't believe that it all went by in the blink of an eye. Even though I kind of regret everything now, I don't have the faintest idea what actually went wrong."

He shut his eyes for a moment before opening his mouth, "Do you recall when you discovered I was still sneaking up on you while you and Hanabi were playing hide-and-seek? Prior to that time, I was finally assigned to Team Rō and went on an actual mission for the time being. Nevertheless, I still have no clue why the commander decided to retrieve me to watch over his daughter. I admit my sub-unit aborted our last mission but why was I the only one paying the consequence?"

"In the end, I ended up performing my original mission reluctantly. Until you dragged me down the tree and gave me a twisted ankle," he chuckled. "Following that, we had a talk. You told me Hiashi-san gave you a second chance to look after Hanabi although you let her sister, Hinata slip away once. Indirectly, you have given me a reason to go on even though the result may not be to my liking at all. You encouraged me to keep going and think of it as a second chance instead of a consequence. Perhaps you can think of it the same way in your situation."

"I'm flattered that I somehow inspired you to look on the brighter side, but we are not in the same boat, Uchiha. My aspiration differs from the policies and the procedures the Medic Corps have. That's why they rejected me because they don't think I would fit in!"

Itachi squeezed Erika's shoulders firmly yet gently, "Calm down, Erika-san," reminded him. "The next entrance exam will be held a few months from now. Prove them wrong—"

"I'm not taking the exam again!" After realizing that she had unknowingly raised her voice, her gaze softened, "Natsu was right after all. I was predestined to serve the main family because my fate is already held in the stars, it's unchangeable."

Handling with care, he pulled her body close to his and placed his hand on the back of her head and the other on her back. "I understand. I will not push you if you don't feel like it," in a little while, he let go of her, looking her in the face, "But what will you do after this? Are you going to take care of Hanabi again?"

"I think so. I'll persuade Hiashi-sama to have me back tomorrow," her lips curved upward as her cheeks flushed. "Thank you for the consolation. In the end, you made me come clean without even trying."

"Anything for you," the Uchiha ANBU couldn't help himself but smile back at her while tucking her hair behind her ear. Before long, he took her by the hand and carried her along, "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"I promised that we will go on a date every day, didn't I? You're quite lucky that today is no exception."

The memorable place Itachi had in mind for their first date turned out to be the traditional café he often visited at leisure. The café itself located a long way from the center of Konoha, offering its customers a temporary getaway from the hustle and bustle, complemented by the classic decorations in every nook and canny that enhanced the environment. The wind chimes greeted the two guests with a sweet melody as the door slid open, notifying the waitress who had been anticipating her day shift to come to an end.

"Hi there, Itachi-kun! It's been so long since I—Erika-chan?" Exclaimed Shinko, Itachi's former teammate with a mouth agape in disbelief.

"Hello, Inari. Um, you work here?" the untypical Hyūga girl returned the waitress' question.

"Obviously, yes!" Shinko nudged Itachi, "Are you two… on a date?"

"It seems like it—"

"It's not like that!"

"Different answers at the same time. I like the harmonization!" Teased Shinko. Unexpectedly, her hands reached out after Erika's, her eyes gleaming full of hope. "If anybody hasn't told you this, you have my blessing, Erika-chan. Who would've thought the two youngest students in our class would make such a cute—"

"E-enough said, Shinko!" Itachi's cheeks burned up in embarrassment before he changed the awkward subject, "I'll have one serving of Dango, please!"

"Coming at you!" The waitress shifted her gaze toward Erika, "And the girlfriend! Pick whatever you're craving for since the boyfriend's paying."

The said girlfriend ran her eye over the menu, "For me, I'll go with what he ordered."

"Two servings of Dango, I repeat. Anything else?"

The couple looked at each other in bewilderment before Shinko jumped into a conclusion, "Two servings of Dango for the cutest couple of Konoha at table 1!"

After making sure their former classmates at the Academy had given a wide berth to them, Erika buried her face in her palms. "This is so embarrassing."

"I feel the same way," Itachi faced away, "Imagine how would we make our relationship public at this rate."

"I know right! Seriously Uchiha, you only made my day worse by introducing me to your ex-teammate. I'm sorry but I really need to leave now. I don't think I have a thick skin to face Inari after this…" The auburn-haired girl rose from her seat quietly.

The Uchiha ANBU stood up to grab her wrist, "Do you forget about your order?"

Erika pulled her wrist away by force, "Let me go, Uchiha! I don't have an appetite for it to begin with!"

Out of nowhere, a man having the stereotypical look of an Uchiha appeared and broke off Itachi's grip from Erika's wrist. "She asked you to let go," he stood up coolly for her at first before turning to Itachi and came to realize, "Itachi? What are you doing here?"

"What about you, Shisui? What are _you_ doing here?" The younger Uchiha frowned.

"As far as I can tell, a couple was having a fight, so before it turned into a heated argument, I got myself involved because I was mainly concerned about the girl. Turned out the guy I sided against is my own cousin. It's a small world, isn't it?" Explained Shisui before glancing at Erika with a silly grin on his face, "You must be the one hindering my cousin from attending the clan meeting. My name's Shisui, by the way."

 _Here it comes another weirdo._ Erika rolled her eyes before putting on a smile. "We've met before at the Uchiha District. Does it ring a bell?"

"By all means!" Stealthily, Shisui whispered to Itachi, "Is she flirting with me?"

Itachi heaved a deep long sigh, "You were right from the start, Erika-san. Let's leave this place for good—"

"Hey, hey, Itachi! Don't be a royal pain when we haven't really caught up on one another for quite some time now. Now sit back and get _me_ to know her better!"

The younger Uchiha directed his gaze to the commander's daughter. "Err, I'm not certain of saying this, but my cousin, Shisui was under the impression that we were having a fight just now. Why do we not continue having a fight so that we can draw the attention back to _us_?"

Shisui shouted at the waitress who was trying to find her missing customer, "Hey, Shinko! If you ever wonder where I went, I moved to this table!"

"There you are, Shisui-kun! But don't you think you're invading their privacy too much?"

The police member looked at the couple, "Itachi, Erika, is my company bothering you?"

"Yes!" They answered in unison.

"Ah, that's because they haven't gotten used to my company yet!"

"If you insist…" Shinko let out a giggle. Little did she know the two of her guests had escaped from her sight. "Shisui! How dare you teleported my lovely guests!"

Unlike the tricked waitress' suspicion, the two of them managed to sneak away to a quieter place when the distractors were not paying heed at all. Feeling guilty, Itachi walked Erika home in silence, keeping his distance by coming behind her. That was the least he could do to ensure her safety on her way back.

"Did you tell your cousin about _us_?" Erika broke the unwanted silence.

"Not yet."

"How did he find out?" she added, "Is he… tailing you, by any means?"

"What? No. I trust Shisui in every respect," he denied. "Perhaps our… awkwardness makes it plain to see."

"But we were only on our first day!"

"That's because I rarely hang around with a girl before. As a result, they began to speculate," he brushed off. "There's nothing to worry about, I assure you."

Erika didn't make a response until she came to a standstill at the front door of her house; she spun around and threw her arms around the taller boy's torso, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I met two Uchiha today. I guess I should start calling you by your first name since I can't imagine addressing your last name while we're in the neighborhood of the Uchiha District." She paused to stare deeply into his eyes, "Maybe you should drop the '–san' as well."

"Sure, Erika…"

"It does sound weird to hear it coming from your mouth, though," she leaned into his face and mumbled. "Don't skip the clan meeting anymore, Itachi."

He bit his lower lip nervously as he watched her back disappeared behind the door.

* * *

author's note: yo, it's me. so how's this chapter? are you surprised that i failed erika's entrance exam? i don't wanna give her everything as easy as that, she has to struggle a bit, tbh. but near the end is kind of cute, don't you think? fluff all the way! itachi is the type of boyfriend that won't be our boyfriend after all :( and i hope i didn't portray shisui too annoying here lol while rereading it, he kinda reminded me of gai/rock lee lol


	12. Caught in Between

**Chapter Twelve** : Caught in Between

Itachi could count how many times he actually showed his face at the clan meeting since he joined ANBU on the fingers of one hand. If truth be told, Erika wasn't the first one persuading him to attend it, his parents especially his father had been requiring his presence up to this time but his duties always kept him away from it. Since this very day he was unusually available, he had no other reason not to please his father with his attendance.

Owing to the fact that Itachi hadn't been informed about when the clan meeting started (seemingly, Fugaku had begun to give up on making his son present himself), he unintentionally missed out on the opening speech his father had delivered earlier, leaving him with no option but to catch up with the heart of the matter. Sneaking into the basement, he noticed his cousin Shisui gesturing him to sit next to him at the back.

"Never expected you would come." Greeted Shisui, his attention directed to the front.

"Hey, Shisui. I'm sorry about earlier," Itachi sighed as he continued. "For walking out on you. Erika was having a rough time today. I couldn't—"

"Don't worry about it. Not any hard feelings, but I probably know and can understand girls better than you."

The younger Uchiha gave a throaty chortle, "By all means, you do."

The police member didn't make a response, his face had been facing forward until now. "Let's pay heed to what Fugaku-taichou has to say. Since you joined late, we should at least show some consideration for the other participants who are eager to listen to him."

"Fair enough," concluded Itachi before concentrating on the clan leader's presentation.

He watched the older Uchiha beside him out of the corner of his eye. _Surprisingly, Shisui had become more adult._ Thought Itachi, recalling how his cousin used to clue him in on his love life and other trivial matters for the duration of the meeting. To tell you the truth, he was deep down entertained by Shisui's daily report. Even though sometimes he dramatized what actually happened, it consequently engaged Itachi in digging out the truth more. Then again, he didn't have the right to have a suspicion about Shisui's strange behavior. The good news was his cousin had finally reached maturity.

Before long, he focused back on the exchange of views the clan members were sharing in. As far as Itachi could remember, the clan had been alert that the village was inclined to think the Uchiha were to blame in connection with the Kyuubi's attack several years ago. Moreover, the village had also been showing clear signs of distrusting the Uchiha by clustering them together and setting up a supposedly private district in the corner of the village so that they could be kept under close observation 24-7. Those arguments had been brought up since the first clan meeting Itachi took part in. He wouldn't have thought the Uchiha would still be taking issue with the same old story.

"Itachi, it is indeed the first time you join in the meeting as an official ANBU member," Fugaku's stern voice came to his attention, "Tell us what kind of tasks you have been assigned so far."

The eldest son rose to his feet, "I have done… plenty of them. If I listed them all, I'm afraid we will be running out of time."

"Ugh. This Hokage's little pawn is just making excuses!" Commented one of the clansmen.

And the others parroted, "Yeah. Acting loyal when he himself is _disloyal_ to us!"

"Are you taking Konoha's side, Itachi?"

"Just because you're Taichou's son, you're not taking the easy way out of this."

"Enough!" Yelled the clan leader, putting an end to the war of words. He stated further, "The rules are still applied regardless of when. Raise your hands before you say something." His intimidating gaze directed toward Shisui as the fellow policeman lifted his hand up, "You may speak, Shisui."

"I believe Itachi could not disclose any pieces of information regarding his everyday mission. On top of being a part of Konoha's ANBU, he has to live up to the moral integrity as a shinobi as well."

The clansmen obviously looked down on Shisui's justification but they did not protest further. Forestalling any slip of the tongue, Fugaku cleared his throat, "Fine. If there is not any problem, we shall continue."

And the dispute went on, resulting in the idea of making a revolution happen at last.

By the time the clan meeting held weekly was almost drawn to a close, Itachi managed to sneak away to get some fresh air, Shisui unexpectedly coming behind.

"You wouldn't be as surprised if you came to the meeting every week," Shisui began.

"I expected they are putting the finishing touches on the foggiest idea as yet," corrected Itachi, pushing his hands into the pockets.

"More like Taichou is taking it into careful consideration," Shisui stood at Itachi's elbow, "From where I stand, your father is like a puppet leader. Sure, he's respected but it doesn't change the fact that he's very easily persuaded. I can see he's trying to be a good leader, still, he's unable to say no when it comes to the majority of the clansmen even though he knows it is not the right thing to do."

The younger Uchiha didn't reply. Becoming aware of it, the policeman added, "Sorry. I shouldn't have spoken ill of your father like that. Not in front of you to say the least."

"You're not wrong." Was all Itachi said.

"Do you think Fugaku-taichou will listen to you?"

"I have no clue either," the ANBU member shrugged, "I've never really asked anything of him. Besides, I doubt a one single time talk could call off the coup that has been prepared for years now."

"You're currently not on good terms with him, are you?" Shisui shifted his gaze to his cousin, "He asked me to keep an eye on you. But I bet either Inabi-san or Yashiro-san put ideas into Taichou's head at the outset. What kind of father would assign his subordinate to spy on his own son—"

"I have not been around much. Therefore, I have no comment relating to that," interrupted Itachi. "On top of that, my father is not the first person to ever be unsympathetic enough to do so. It's by any means nothing new to me."

Shisui let out a sigh, "Well, I just want to make you aware that I'll always be on your side come what may since we're striving for the same goal and all. So don't you dare turn it over in your mind all alone! We'll figure it out together as time goes by." He linked his arm up with the younger Uchiha, "But for now, I'm dying to know about your love life with that girl you went to the café with. What's her name again? Erika, is it? I recognized that she was the same cute girl I ran into at the district months ago. And before I had the chance to find out more about her, man, you already beat me. So how far have you done with her?"

"Not on your life, Shisui. I'm never up to discussing it." His cousin brushed off his arm nonchalantly.

"Come on, I told you everything about mine!" He pointed at his dry lips, "Have you?"

"O-of course not!" Itachi unconsciously blushed, "A friendly reminder, Shisui. I'm only _twelve_."

"What's the matter? I was seven when I got my first kiss!"

"Sure, more by accident than by design."

"You rascal!" The older Uchiha threw his head back, dissolving into laughter, "I kind of regret letting you know now."

"About your accidental first kiss?"

"No, about the potential coup and the rest." Shisui glared at his cousin, "And it was _not_ by accident, I'm telling you!"

"Don't feel sorry about it," reminded the ANBU member, "It must be hard to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all alone. Since we are the minority who disapprove of the coup."

"Nah, it's not that hard if you ask me," his cousin admitted. "Keeping your loved ones away from you in order to protect them is harder."

"I don't get it. How can you protect them if they are not allowed to get close to you in the first place?"

"As much as I don't wish you to stand in my shoes, you will have to experience it on your own to finally get the drift of it."

* * *

In opposite to the bright daytime, tonight's sky was midnight blue with clouds swirling like spilled black ink in the water. It was late already, still, Fugaku asked his oldest son to meet him and his wife in the unoccupied guest room. Itachi sat on his knees as he faced his parents, his clenched hands set down on his lap obligingly.

"You are aware that you're going to become heir to the Uchiha Clan, aren't you?" The captain folded his arms, "However, it seems that the rest of the clan don't fully trust you."

The first son bowed his head deeper, keeping his ears open.

"You know what you have to do after this? Prove them wrong. Show that you are more than capable of leading them," his eyes narrowed in all seriousness. "We understand that you have a lot on your plate already but get your priorities straight! Otherwise, I will appoint Sasuke as the heir although he is still pale in comparison with you. If he by any chance fails to meet the requirements to my liking, I will nominate—"

Itachi turned his face aside, "If you have finished using the bathroom, go straight to bed, Sasuke."

"What do you think you're doing in the middle of the night?" Fugaku raised his voice.

Mikoto got to her feet, "I will put him to bed—"

"Let me do it instead, Okaa-san."

"We haven't done talking, Itachi!"

"I will get back to you after this, Otou-san," Itachi held Sasuke's hand, dragging him away from the room. "Let's go, Sasuke."

"… Were you two having a fight?" Inquired Sasuke as soon as his brother pulled the blanket to his chin.

"It wasn't like that."

"I know I'm just a kid but I'm not stupid, Nii-san!" The younger Uchiha declared, "I started eavesdropping when Otou-san mentioned my name. Are you okay with that?"

Nonetheless, he hadn't properly been taught how to make Sasuke believe the lie he projected. "I don't mind you being made the heir as long as you wish for it. Or anyone else Otou-san finds eligible."

Sasuke's lips curved downward, "So you don't want to succeed in the clan?"

"The decision depends on Otou-san, whether he thinks I'm entitled to it or not," explained the older brother. "But you don't have to be concerned about it. I believe he was only threatening me in the hope that I would do better next time."

"You didn't do him good enough?" Sasuke gasped in surprise.

"Not good enough to meet Otou-san's expectations." Itachi picked himself up, "I'm going downstairs. Stay in bed when it has passed your curfew. Good night, Sasuke."

Sasuke regarded him as being perfect, meanwhile, their father demanded him _to be_ perfect. Frankly speaking, he regretted knowing. He regretted knowing what Shisui truly meant as soon as this. Sasuke's well-being was beyond price that he would be willing to trade even his life for without thinking twice, in a heartbeat. From this day forward, he intended to keep the seizure of power that the Uchiha had in mind a secret from his little brother and would not mind carrying it to his grave. What's more, he regretted knowing that his clan had been getting everything set for the coup d'état to break out _years_ after. If only he was clued into it sooner, what would he do? No—what could have he possibly done? For now, it was only a matter of time until the clan leader eventually made up his mind to make a reality of it.

Suddenly, an abstract idea got into his head. This could be the best alternative he could think of for now. _For now._ How he hated that word. Still, they said haste makes waste, and he, at the very least wanted to pin his hopes on that. The other least thing he could do was to become heir to the Uchiha Clan, that being so, the coup wouldn't have to turn the trick. The village would also not have to face the music haphazardly. After that, he would restore friendly relations that Konoha and the Uchiha once had in the long run. They would make peace. But was everything he planned feasible, to begin with?

Itachi slid the door open reluctantly, spotting Mikoto seated by herself. His father's presence couldn't be sensed in the room.

"Itachi, I've talked to your father," her doll-like eyes darted around nervously, "He wanted you to inform against the Konoha Council."

No, it was _not_.

His greatest regret was to know that his sole existence was merely a weapon that would be used against the village to his clan's benefit.

The next day, Itachi went on another mission as per usual. The first thing he did in the morning was to make sure that what happened yesterday wouldn't affect his performance today. As soon as he turned up at the ANBU HQ, he was sent off to the elevated tower at the border of the village. Without further ado, he wasted no time in heading out for the location and bumped into Kakashi and Tenzō on the way.

"They dispatched you for this specific mission for real?" The Mokuton user cried out.

"Yeah, but the commander has not briefed me about the mission yet. What is it?" Itachi climbed the stairs just behind Kakashi.

"You've been familiar with the dirty work ANBU always do by now, haven't you?" Tenzō went on to say, "Well, this work will be as twice as dirty. Especially when you're the _one_ doing it."

"No need to beat around the bush, Tenzō," reminded Kakashi, "Since we're almost there."

Itachi knitted his brows in bewilderment.

The copy-nin turned around, "Since you're a part of ANBU now. You cannot run away from this." Said him as he opened the door.

"Taichou! Thank God, you've finally arrived!" A member of Team Rō greeted.

"Yeah, even though you're half an hour late," replied the other ANBU member, "What would you like to eat for lunch?"

"What is _he_ doing here, Taichou? Don't tell me he's assuming our shift?"

"Of course," the ANBU captain confirmed. "Well, he's free to go if you insist on keeping your shift up."

"No, thanks. Let him do it, I could care less."

"Are you going to report to your clan after this?" Mocked one of them before shutting the door with a bang.

Itachi took a seat on the furthest chair from the door and looked through the telescope, keeping the activities in the Uchiha District under surveillance. In the end, he made sense of the dirty work that Tenzō had been giving a sign and couldn't agree more with him. Spying on his own flesh and blood, as if he could wash his hands of this tight spot afterward. He couldn't take sides. The Uchiha was where he had a home. He was born and raised there, needless to say. But if he were to ally himself with his clan, the coup d'état would be eventuated without a doubt and it all would also lead to another village assaulting Konoha. Many innocent lives would be lost and it was indeed the last thing Itachi could ever wish. Never in his wildest dreams!

"You can go if you want," Kakashi offered, "I'll be taking over from you."

"It's all right, Taichou." The Uchiha ANBU revealed, "The Uchiha have been alert to the misgivings the village have."

* * *

Erika noticed that Itachi had somewhat changed. Sometimes, she wished he merely felt exhausted after accomplishing the mission, but asking the real question here—could someone be tired _all_ the time?

Maybe she was the main cause of his weariness, not actually the mission. And the insecurity began to reside in her mind. For no earthly reason. Out of the blue.

"Itachi! Are you listening?"

He was still keeping his promise, though. A promise, which they would go on a date every day. Or perhaps he hadn't broken it yet.

The evening had sent the birds back to their roots and let the crickets sing on the wild grass. The two of them were relaxing on the back porch of the Hyūga Main's residence, doing nothing but chatting. Chatting gave the impression of being more interactive than the reality, more like Erika telling how her day went by and getting no response at all from Itachi. Apparently, she had his body next to her but his mind was wandering off somewhere.

Itachi blinked, "Yes?"

"Did you hear what I said?" She gazed into his onyx eyes, "Are you even _here_?"

He looked away, "Forgive me for spacing out. Can you please repeat that?"

"I've been appointed as a resident physician! I'll be working at the hospital again starting tomorrow." Announced Erika with pleasure.

"I'm happy for you, Erika." Itachi threw his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to his side.

She rested her head on his shoulder, "Itachi, are you… are you not feeling well?"

"As you can see, I'm fit as a fiddle."

"Is something troubling you then?" She directed her gaze downward, her fingers finding their way to meet his.

Lightly, he squeezed her hand. "Nothing, I assure you."

 _Liar._ If he persisted in keeping things to himself, Erika could take his actions as a patter. Scratch that—she _would_ act toward him the same way. If her memory served her correctly, she had stated before they even got together that Itachi had always done her an injustice. How come he knew almost everything about her when he himself didn't let her know a thing or two about him? Was she nothing but an open book in his eyes? Or had he been playing his cards close to his chest up to this time? It was so unfair. Especially when she was the first to lay them on the table. All of a sudden, she felt that the effort she made to reach out to him was in vain. As long as she could still swallow the pride he hurt, she would not stop caring.

Erika mustered up the courage to ask, "Aren't you tired of seeing me every day?"

Itachi breathed out sharply, his nose flaring up. "The mission wore me out, that's all."

Pulling her hand away, she scowled. "Why are you losing your temper all of a sudden? I was about to offer that you don't need to go see me every day if you don't feel like speaking with me!"

Silence filled the atmosphere afterward. _Please say something…_

Her gaze softened, "H-how about it?"

 _Please say you still need me…_

He pulled her into a hug, his chin pressed on the top of her head. "Thank you… for understanding me. For not demanding anything from me."

That evening turned out to be the last time she ever saw him. Following that, news about Itachi was unheard of.

At the end of the day, Erika leaped to a conclusion that they were taking a break for the time being. Although she had a hard time figuring out what she could've done instead of what she could do at the moment, she was filled with gratitude to be employed at the hospital once more. Let alone the time she took for herself to cry her eyes out in the bathroom stall during lunch break. She had lost count of how many times she told herself that it was no use to cry over spilled milk. Still, she denied that she was mad about Itachi taking her consent as read. In fact, she wasn't mad at Itachi, to begin with, but herself. It was painful to realize that she had been too dependent on him, seeking for his help when she was in trouble but then, he didn't bother to reach her hand when she had already offered hers. It left her with mixed feelings, to be honest—worthless at most.

"Seems like someone has been working too hard," mentioned Mayumi as she showed her the way to the next patient's room. "But you don't have to keep your Byaku-whatever activated all the time, you know or you'll end up straining your eyes—" she took a glance back before her hands covering her mouth, "Oh, they already are!"

"D-don't be joking, Mayumi-san! At least not now since we're seeing a patient." Erika's eyelids fluttered just when she saw two images of Mayumi simultaneously. On the spur of the moment, her fingers reached for her temples to rub them while closing her eyes for a really short time.

"Eek! Your eyes are all red, Sensei! I won't let the patient look into your eyes under these circumstances," told the nurse. "Wait in the break room and rest there. I'll get Hideki-sensei to cover you and examine you after we handle this patient."

The newcomer had no choice but to do as the senior nurse said. If truth be told, the reason her normal eyes switched on her Byakugan mode most of the time was that she had a hunch that a pair of mysterious eyes had always been watching her stealthily, fixing on her back. Before you made assumptions that she was only be reminded of Itachi—no, it was unmistakably different this time. Leastwise, Itachi's chakra didn't come across as with the intention of killing her before she knew it. Whoever had been sneaking up on her, sad to say that they had done a poor job of not suppressing their chakra enough when Erika had been completely aware of their being there.

Her heart almost stopped beating when Mayumi appeared from the door, followed by Dr. Hideki coming behind her. "Just because her visual prowess functions in the same league as the CT scan, she refuses to turn them off, Sensei." Pointed out the nurse, suddenly playing the role of her guardian without being asked.

"No need to worry, Mayumi-san. I have a Hyūga patient who suffered from an eye strain before, so I'm quite familiar with the condition," said Dr. Hideki before turning to Erika, "Well, you've proved me that Byakugan is pretty impressive after all. I thought it merely gave the user a near 360-degree diameter field of vision but you're able to utilize it in medical practice, to my surprise."

"Ugh, save your admiration for later seriously, Hideki-sensei."

"Sorry, I'm so used to lightening up the mood before letting the patient know about their disease," the other doctor coughed. "Erika-sensei is a bright medical practitioner herself. I'm certain she has every knowledge of the treatment she has to go through."

"Eye strain is caused by intense use and too much exposure to extreme brightness. Therefore, the patient is suggested to take a break from any activities involving their eyes. If the state worsens, the patient is expected to go see a doctor."

"Almost perfect," declared Dr. Hideki. "You're just missing the _dry eye_."

"Um, how could she have a dry eye if she shed tears regularly in one of the bathroom stalls?" Interrupted Mayumi.

"How did you find out? I always made sure I was alone!"

"By activating that dōjutsu of yours? No wonder you got an eye strain then," scorned the nurse before turning to the senior doctor, "I didn't bring you along for testing her medical knowledge, Hideki-sensei. As the head of the hospital, you should at least be considerate of her health and give her permission to leave work early!"

"You're impatient, aren't you Mayumi-san?" His forehead wrinkled up, "All right, Erika-sensei. Take your time to rest well."

"I'll walk you home. But before that, stay in here," Mayumi instructed. "I'm getting my things—"

"Thanks for your concern and everything, Mayumi-san but you're still on duty."

"Shut up, you're a patient now," the difficult nurse cut the young doctor off. "This is one of a nurse's duties, you know. Making certain of her patient returning home safely."

At long last, Erika let her self-appointed caregiver tag along with her with much reluctance. Mayumi even urged her to put a blindfold on in case her Byakugan triggered off of its own accord, for all that Erika had assured that she was able to restrain her eyes from what the nurse was frightened of and whatnot. Be that as it may, Mayumi put her trust more in her medical intuition than Erika's word of honor and walked behind her so that she could make sure that her patient was walking on the right track until she arrived home safely and soundly.

Late afternoon was honestly Mayumi's most favorable time of the day. But ever since she started working at the hospital, she got almost no time to take a stroll before the sun set down. At this moment in time, the streets were swamped with the sea of people more often than not. Most shinobis just got back from their mission, causing the odor of sweats to mingle with the metallic smell of fresh blood. Apart from the unpleasant aroma, Mayumi could still tolerate the busy streets, to say the least. Parents picking up their children from the Academy and couples walking hand in hand—sure, it all was pleasing to the eye but also stimulated them to be green with envy. She glanced at the hand that clung to hers and whispered to herself: ' _Who said the life of a healthcare worker was a walk in the park?'_ perhaps she would be going for a walk around the park after she dropped this visionless doctor off at her home.

Mayumi pulled Erika away just when she almost bumped into one of the pedestrians for the second time by now, "Did you do it on purpose? You're always aiming at muscular men. And for the love of God, I'm not going to apologize for you if you dare to do that again."

"You should be guiding me not harassing me, duh!" Complained Erika.

"Oh, do I need to remind you to be thankful later on?"

"Nah, I'm good. Why don't you let me remove this stupid blindfold and then we go our separate ways?"

The nurse's tongue clicked in anger, "Whatever. Do as you please." She drew her hand away as she spun her body around and walked off.

Without delay, Erika took off the blindfold that had been obstructing her visual perception by force and continued to walk over the crowd on her own. Her vision became blurry, her eyelids heavy. She looked down at her feet to prevent the direct ray of light from piercing through her eyes. Just when she put her hand up to protect her troubled eyes against the brightness, her elbow hit another pedestrian.

"Oh, sorry there—"

"Since Sakuya-san is gone now, I'd like to get even with you, Erika."

The mysterious woman twisted the knife that had been stabbed into Erika's thigh, at once sinking it deeper and deeper. Without warning, she jerked the knife off before vanishing into thin air, resulting in the poor girl collapsing as blood fairly stained her black pants, pouring down her thigh gradually until people became aware of what was going on at present and began to call for help.

* * *

author's note: welp, hello there! have to admit this chapter is kinda frustrating to write because we're entering the beginning of the end aka prior to the massacre *spoiler alert* yeah, i decided to let the massacre happen again since this story is an in-universe. even so, do you guys remember mayumi the nurse? yeah that nurse who was so in love with kakashi lol she began to owe erika her life since she technically saved her last time but imo, she's an interesting character, tho. both her and erika are very stubborn, they get in each other's way more often than not. ok i should stop blabbering on mayumi before i make her the main character (sorry, erika) stay tuned no matter what, ok!


	13. Living for the Moment

**Chapter Thirteen** : Living for the Moment

Her eyelids fluttered before they cracked open unhurriedly. When her blurred vision became clearer progressively, she caught sight of Kiyoshi resting the side of his face on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. Erika watched her father's tranquil face quietly, an idea to ruffle his spiky hair playfully crossed her mind but she brushed it off on second thought. Being the lightest sleeper his daughter always recognized him for; the ANBU commander threw his colorless eyes wide on impulse, stretching out his back almost immediately.

"Finally you're awake…" A relieved smile spread out Kiyoshi's lips.

"Otou-san… What happened to me?"

"It seems like you collided with a pickpocket and she stabbed you with a knife spontaneously," lied her father. "Nothing serious. You're still alive, that's more important now."

"Is that so?" Erika frowned with doubt.

"Yes," the ANBU commander looked away before rising to his feet, "Since you've regained your consciousness, I'm calling the doctor. Stay in the bed."

In next to no time, her father disappeared from behind the door, leaving her alone in the room. Just when she had adjusted to a more comfortable position under the leathery blanket, her bladder suddenly urged her on relieving herself. Of course, she would be in her right mind not to pass water here on the bed, seeing that a soak bedspread was the last thing she ever wished to deal with on her volunteer workdays. Without thinking twice about going against Kiyoshi's request, she leaped down from the bed, walked toward the bathroom, and took her time in there.

At the time Erika was sprucing up her hospital gown, the mirror hung on the wall reflected her exposed thigh where as far as she could remember, the alleged pickpocket ran her knife through. Even so, she had doubts that her father was telling the truth about what actually happened. If her memory served her correctly, the suspect even mentioned her mother's name before seeing her way to pierce through her thigh. _But what did she say again?_ To her dismay, she failed to recall that.

Her fingers then traced over the scar, and strangely enough, any stitches couldn't be seen on the surface of her fair skin. There was no single proof that a knife had been thrust at her, except for the memory of how painful it was. It might worth laughing at to admit this; the situation she was in had given rise to night terrors, generating the idea that she was on the verge of fading fast.

"Erika?" A knock on the door caught her by surprise.

"Coming!" Told her before stepping out of the bathroom.

Standing alongside the bed, Dr. Hideki maintained a relaxed look on his face as he became aware of Erika finding her feet when she was obliged not to leave the bed in the very beginning. Perhaps Kiyoshi was the only one making a big thing out of his daughter being hospitalized. Before long, the senior doctor coughed, "How are you feeling, Erika- _san_?"

 _No hard feelings, but Dr. Hideki is addressing_ you _as a patient not his member of staff, to all appearances._ "Better than ever."

"I'm glad to hear that," the senior doctor read Erika's medical records quickly before turning to her, "First off, take a seat." His hand gestured toward the bed, "As far as you can tell, Erika-san, you've been stabbed in the thigh with a sharp object. But by a miracle, you experienced nothing severe when the knife was intended to cut through your arteries that would stand a chance of losing too much blood. I've been meaning to ask you this question by the time you got admitted to the hospital actually, Erika-san. Did you tend to your wound before losing your consciousness by any chance?"

The doctor turned patient creased her forehead confusingly, "I don't think I've done that." She added, "As far as I can remember, no one gave me treatment before I passed out either. If it's really the case, Sensei, someone might have secretly performed a medical ninjutsu on me to speed up the healing process."

"To speed up the healing process you said?" Repeated Dr. Hideki, "Not tend to the wound completely?"

"Err, yes. For example, the Mystical Palm allows it user to transfer their chakra and change its form to new cells that will be used to replace the damaged and even dead cells from particular trauma," explained Erika, avoiding direct eye contact from Kiyoshi. "To tell you the truth, well, I've been keeping this a secret for a while now, not wanting to lay it on thick to be more precise. I'm… I've noticed that my body is somehow capable of healing itself faster than normal people. The reason why I didn't tell anyone about this before is because I've never been injured severely… until I was stabbed that very day."

Throughout his daughter's statement, the ANBU commander had been clenching his fists, struggling for control. "When was the first time you learned about it?"

"… During the chūnin exams."

"Give me a second to fathom this," the older doctor stared in disbelief. "Are you revealing that your body is after all different from others'?"

Erika nodded nervously.

"I'm sorry, Hideki-sensei but could you give us some privacy? There's something I'd like to talk with my daughter alone." Kiyoshi gave an apologetic smile and shortly after, the senior doctor walked off the room at his request.

"You're not going to scold me for not telling you from the start, are you, Otou-san?"

"This is not good, Erika," her father stared emptily into her eyes, his hands stretching out to her shoulders. "It appears that you positively hold the same ability that took Okaa-san's life. And to make matters worse, you can't control it—no one ever manages to do so."

Erika swallowed her saliva, "What is it?"

"The Regeneration Ability."

The mysterious death of Senju Sakuya persisted, when her daughter initially had a suspicion that the missing-nin's cause of death was none other than by means of late treatment, it turned out that the uncontrollable Regeneration Ability resulted in her hardly any chakra being emptied out to care for her deep wounds after all was said and done. Be that as it may, it was merely another assumptions Kiyoshi made so that Erika wouldn't accuse the medics (ironically, they were her coworkers _now_ ) of her mother's tragic end to any further extent.

For all that, it didn't console her in the slightest. Changing her mind, maybe but not that she could take it easy from now on. Not at all. What did her father even hint at? That she was expected to lay down her life in similar fashion to Sakuya? Perhaps she neglected once more to look how things stood on the brighter side. Clearly, she was undervaluing her recently found capability by failing to acknowledge the many advantages she got her hands on—one of them was to remain in force on the front-line as a medical-nin. Ten to one she would depart this life by violating the three sacred rules applied for all medical-nin.

A moment later, a policeman paid her a sudden visit, much to Erika's surprise. If she had been clued in on how these professionals would disturb the peace she finally found on her infrequent time off, she would rather not be roused from her slumber at all.

"Good day," the Uchiha cop greeted. "I'm Uchiha Fugaku of Konoha Military Police Force and I'll be taking charge of this case of murder attempt were involved in. Before I fill you in on the suspect and what motives we speculated on, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Are you sure it is a murder attempt, Fugaku-san? I thought I only bumped into a random pickpocket on my way back, for that reason I already let her off easy." The victim screwed up her eyes suspiciously, "You said you're from the police department, didn't you? And one of the tasks you have to perform is to keep the civilian behavior in check, isn't it? No offense meant, as an aside. But why are you handling this case? What brought you _here_ in all seriousness?"

"No, it's not as simple as that. It seems that I have to make it clear to you first and foremost that the suspect is _not_ just a random pickpocket. Yes, she's a civilian, therefore I'm duty-bound to apply myself to this case." Fugaku coughed, "Any questions left?"

The deafening silence rang in her ear as she grasped Fugaku's rude awakening. Deep down inside, she was panicking in the extreme if truth be told. However, she managed to keep her head on the outside. Her lips parted slightly, "Eh? No. Please go on."

"Have you done any of your Senju relatives wrong in the past?"

"Senju relatives mean family members on my mother's side, huh?" Erika knitted her eyebrows, "No. In fact, I have never exchanged more than three words with any of them. They've been shunning me and my mother for over a decade and counting."

"Is that so?" Frowned the man with wicked eyes, "Try to rack your brains more. Any information will help us sort this out and I'd appreciate you for that."

Her eyes darted to the left, digging for memories before a familiar voice rang in her mind. "I'm not certain if this is what you're actually looking for but I hope you'll find it helpful. Before the woman stabbed me in the thigh, she murmured 'since Sakuya-san is gone now, I'd like to get even with you' something along those lines."

Fugaku stroked his invisible beard, "I knew it all along." He paused for a short time before stating further, "That's it for today. I'll let your guardian know if we are one hundred percent sure about this. Farewell then."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Commented Erika after the representative passed from sight.

"I wouldn't have thought the captain of Konoha Military Police Force would step in pickpocketing case." Began the ANBU commander nonchalantly, leaning his back against the wall, his arms folded.

"Because it's not just a pickpocketing case, Otou-san. I'm not sure whether you made up the whole thing about this pickpocket or you really have no idea that she's not a pickpocket, to begin with," his daughter gave him a black look. "Why did you let him in in the first place?"

"Don't be upset. Fugaku is an old friend of mine, that's all."

"Oh, so that's why you give him permission to enter my room. Because you thought an old friend only had the intention to call on his old friend's sick daughter?"

"Most certainly not. I did him a favor to solve this case. As an old friend, yes but as you can see, this case also involves you." Explained Kiyoshi, "Besides he's Itachi's father. How could I say no to the man who raised my proud subordinate?"

"W-what did you say? H-he is I-Itachi's father?" Erika stuttered, her cheeks burning up. "Why didn't you tell me from the start? I should've shown more respect to him, to say the least!"

"Well missy, you have to respect your old man first before other people's father." The ANBU commander narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Actually, there's something I want to ask you, Otou-san…"

Despite not giving an answer, Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows, indicating his daughter to continue.

She bit her lower lip, "Was… Was there anyone else stopping by my room while I was fast asleep?"

"A certain nurse named Mayumi," recalled her father. "She kept apologizing. I don't have the faintest idea what for."

"Oh, she ditched me—no, I mean we got separated in the crowd," corrected Erika right away. She blinked momentarily, following that her eyes gleaming full of hope. "There must be someone else, Otou-san!"

Kiyoshi sighed, "Yeah, there was. Itachi had been watching over you since you were rushed to the hospital. He looked rather perturbed, from where I stood. Because of that, I sent him away on another mission."

"Why did you do that?" Erika unknowingly raised her voice, "He's been pushing himself too hard, Otou-san. You should at least let him take a day off once in a while!"

"Well, that's one of the consequences every member of Konoha's ANBU has to face, not just him, Erika." Kiyoshi placed his hands on his hips, staring intimidatingly at his daughter. "You should've been more familiar with ANBU's duties seeing that your father is the commander. And why do you even care? It's not like you two are dating or something."

Her hazel eyes widened in horror, at a loss for words overall. She had no idea what she was feeling at the moment—relieved and embarrassed at once. Mostly relieved because Itachi eventually made an effort to reach out to her (even though she had to let herself get injured in order to be worthy of his minimum effort) and embarrassed at the same time seeing that Kiyoshi had caught his only daughter being involved with one of his subordinates in the long run.

"Don't tell me—" the ANBU commander stumbled on his words, "Fugaku dispatched his son to inform him on your condition so that he didn't have to check up on you from time to time?"

Erika heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank God he didn't realize!_ "Yeah, it seems likely. S-screw Itachi's father then!"

* * *

The next morning, Dr. Hideki gave the young doctor permission to be discharged from the hospital. Moreover, he granted her another day off to restore her body completely to health. Erika stretched out her hand to a heap of her pajamas collection and forced them into her old diaper bag. She sighed at how unreliable and clueless Kiyoshi was when it came to _clothes._ A couple of days ago, she politely asked her father to bring along an adequate amount of pajamas if he were going to drop by, and of course, she had left a specific message of which pajama sets she'd like him to fetch. Not wanting to hold responsible, he ended up getting his daughter all of her pajamas in the closet and instructed her to pick out. Not to mention, he also bought Erika a new set inasmuch she took pleasure in collecting them.

Just when she had finished squishing all her pajamas into her old diaper bag, a rap on the window caught her unawares. Immediately after, she slid the curtain aside to find Itachi still in his ANBU uniform flashing a faint apologetic smile at her, his eyes pleading for her to let him in.

She scowled and ignored him in the end. Slipping the strap on her shoulder, Erika walked away from the window.

The Uchiha ANBU mouthed from outside, "Forgive me for being missing in action these past few weeks. I know I was wrong and I have reflected on my mistake. Please listen to me for once, Erika and let me make it up—"

Before he completed his sentence, the commander's daughter slammed the door shut. Hissing under his breath, he climbed down the wall in next to no time to go after her.

Erika accelerated her pace as she walked over the hospital reception area, occasionally glancing around and waving at her colleagues and several patients she was acquainted with. Crossing the threshold of the way out, she spotted Itachi already blocked off the gate, his body slightly tilted to the side so that his arm slanted against the wall.

"Fine," she crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze steering clear of his at all costs. "You got five minutes to explain yourself."

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have made a promise I could not keep because I never anticipated it to dash your hopes in the end. The difficulty of the job I have been doing wouldn't seem to fall off any minute now... As much as I wish to clue you in, sad to say that it is strictly confidential but… I have learned quite a lot from it. I – I put my life on the line all the time; chances are that I won't always be able to make it at the end of the day. For that reason, I want to value the time when I get to spend with my loved ones highly from this day forward." Teardrop caught the light out of the corner of his eye, he batted his eyes to wipe it off. "But then when I heard that you collapsed, I could not stop blaming myself for it. This incident wouldn't have occurred in the first place… if I were capable of looking after you, not driving you away from me."

Her arms broke apart even as she walked toward him, her gaze softening this time. "It's not directly your fault since you weren't the one stabbing me in the thigh and all. Because you suggested it was after all your fault, I'd like to think of it that way then." Her mind told her to step aside and walked away, but the action she took told otherwise. Sure, she didn't move a muscle to pull his broken pieces together into a hug but she had already forgiven him in her heart of hearts. She muttered, "What are you going to do now? You're not going to continue with the promise you said you couldn't keep, are you?"

"I won't make another promise for now. Having said that, I have come up with another alternative."

"I'm listening."

Itachi took hold of the shoulder strap and moved it onto his shoulder, "I will train you until you're strong enough to defend yourself."

It was the beginning of their training. At first, Erika had doubts about the Uchiha ANBU making time for instructing her; seeing that he stated himself that he was too occupied with the tasks that ANBU had to involve themselves in. Eventually, Itachi convinced her that her father had generously given him days off after the last mission Kiyoshi used as an excuse to chase him away. Considering the ANBU commander, he was secretly and strangely entertained by cutting short his subordinates' time off and suddenly requiring their presences at the wrong time, to boot.

Day 1: Ninjutsu. The rain was pouring down on earth and Erika doubted the rain would come to an end any minute now. She floated an idea that they should come close to the space heater, not to the windowsill so that they could catch a glimpse of the last drop of the rain. As though Itachi could predict the future, the rain drew to a close at the very last minute. The cloud split up, giving way to the sun full of vim and vigor.

When Itachi was serious about something, he wasted no time in it. As soon as the heavy rain was over, they headed outside, the Uchiha ANBU without further ado handed the commander's daughter a piece of paper. He additionally explained that if she were to flow out an adequate amount of chakra, the paper would react dependently. For him, he effortlessly set the paper on fire before turning it into ashes.

"Your turn now."

Erika followed the example of how her instructor had done the trick and ended up converting it into a scattering of dirt. She had to blow it away from her palm in order to get rid of it.

"Apparently, your affinity is _earth_." Itachi commented, "But you don't seem very pleased with the result."

"If I take it again, will the outcome be different?" She took an extra paper from him without warning.

"I think it unlikely to happen. My result is one and the same even if I—"

"Oh, look! It's drenching!" A satisfied smile spread out her lips.

"It's either you manipulated your chakra earlier on or you are indeed blessed with two affinities. Congrats to you, still and all."

She pouted, "Who cares about it? I still like this nature transformation better. The second one, I mean."

"And why is that?"

"Just because I can put your fire out, it goes without saying." Bragged her, and then she dissolved into a giggle.

Day 2: Genjutsu. It was a new thing to learn that Itachi surprisingly had a strict side of himself. For example, he didn't show signs of being merciful when he cast an illusion technique on her. He was confident that he picked Genjutsu skills up on the double. On the other hand, Erika was quite the opposite—she had been wise to Genjutsu being her greatest weakness yet she didn't bother to lift a finger to work on it. They were poles apart after all.

From time to time, Itachi had to release the Genjutsu he threw on her in the hope that she didn't die in the process. Just as she was set free from the conjuring trick, she gasped for air hard.

"Let's take a break." He took the initiative, twisting the top off of the bottle of mineral water and passing it to her.

Erika rubbed off her sweat with the back of her hand, "I'd rather call it a day."

"You give up too quick."

"And you expect too _much_!" Complained her, "Unlike you, Itachi, I'm not close to a prodigy. An ordinary person like me cannot become proficient in every skill I wish I could acquire."

"You're mistaken, Erika," he reached out for her shoulders and squeezed them carefully, his eyes digging for a glimmer of hope. "You don't have to be a prodigy to acquire a certain skill. As long as you put much effort into it and make extra time for it, you will achieve it for certain."

"Have you heard that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses? I think that's what makes us unique."

"What about you, Erika? As far as I can tell, you're naturally adept at medical ninjutsu. And a medical-nin is noted for their efficient chakra control, which gets you the upper hand. What if I say I am equal to applying the Mystical Palm?"

The medical-nin rolled her eyes, "Care to show me beyond doubt?"

"I'm thrilled to," answered the challenger. "All the same, you're not hurting anywhere and neither am I."

"What is your weakness then? Who knows if I'm able to get the hang of it in the near future." She made a face after realizing, "Oh, right, you don't have any."

"I actually have," He faced away, hiding his flushed cheeks, "Y-you."

Day 3: Taijutsu. After lending Erika a hand to overcome her weakness and eventually got turned down yesterday, Itachi didn't expect her to show up this morning. Hence, he headed off to the Third Training Ground on his own, carrying along a number of kunai he purchased the other day. Ahead of time, he had tucked away several dartboards behind the stumps somewhere and by the time his soles had risen into the air, the space between his fingers securing the kunai on the loose. Just when he was on the point of aiming the targets and hurling at them, Erika showed her face from behind.

"Great moves you got there," interrupted her. "So are we going to play some darts today?"

"Most certainly not," the Uchiha ANBU inclined his body, picking up the kunai. "For my part, I would not call this _playing_. But if you amuse yourself just to raise your spirits, then suit yourself."

"Okay, so what's your plan for today, _Sensei_?" Erika walked over to behind the stump, helping Itachi collect the last kunai. "As long as you don't hypnotize me, count me in."

"Thanks," said Itachi, laying hold of the kunai and putting it back into his pouch. "I will let you stand out today, we're practicing taijutsu."

"Oh, I got my hopes up for nothing! I thought today was all about chakra control since you said you would finally let me stand out."

"I remember that you defeated your opponent in the second round of chūnin exams with uncomplicated taijutsu moves," recalled Itachi. "And isn't the Hyūga Clan expert in hand to hand combat? You are allowed to activate your Byakugan while taking me on."

"If you're provoking me, Itachi, it's not working so stop it already," Erika brushed off. "One more thing, does today's session has something to do with Dōjutsu?"

"Fret not, my Sharingan will not project another unpleasant Genjutsu onto you. In fact, I won't be using it in this fight."

"Oh, you're under the impression that Byakugan is inferior to the Sharingan?" Erika squinted.

"You received the false impression seemingly. Have you heard? The Sharingan was originated from Byakugan," the Uchiha ANBU pointed out. "And trust me, the weapon does not make any difference, the hand that wields it does."

She clenched her fists, struggling for control. "Bring it on, Uchiha!"

In a twinkling of an eye, veins bulged out of her temples, her hazel eyes becoming featureless white. Tiny dots connected to one another forming a line that reflected flashes of light, hinting at the chakra points. Erika wasted no time in giving off chakra from her palms and thrusting at her opponent's _Tenketsu_. Although Itachi didn't put his Sharingan to use, he didn't take her lightly, nor go easy on her. Initially, he let her hit him before he could take her moves as a pattern and dodge the attack without difficulty in the short run.

As if his Sharingan could bring the movement she had in mind into view, Itachi took hold of her wrist and knocked it down slightly, his free hand creeping behind her elbow and locking onto it. He pulled her in so that her burning face was within spitting distance from his. Her hot breath touching his skin, she was fighting for it. For an instant, their eyes met. Her pupilless white irises evolved back into her usual hazel eyes, already steadying themselves. Catching him off guard, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

In a little while, Erika pulled her face away, her arm breaking free from Itachi's clasp. Without hesitation, her hand slid over the back of his neck and went down lower, her other hand on his elbow. Noticing that he had been tricked on previously, Itachi wrapped his arms around her petite body, preventing her from throwing him down the ground. Surprisingly, she got on her knees, dropping him down but not losing her grip on him. She turned his body over, following that her arm still squashing his neck.

"Looks like I wiped the floor up with you," Erika pursed her mouth in a triumphant smile. Before long, she let go of her contact with Itachi, sticking out her hand to help him pick himself up.

Half seated, Itachi pulled her down all of a sudden, her knees crashing to the grass. "Are you going to kiss your opponent every time you are about to suffer defeat?"

"O-of course not!" She looked away sheepishly, "I thought I could use it as a distraction, that is all."

Placing his one of his hands on her cheek, his thumb traced around her lower lip. His onyx eyes moved back and forth from her eyes to her lips hesitatingly until he had made up his mind. On the spur of the moment, he brought his face closer to hers, his lips brushed against her soft lips. It was indeed his first kiss and he was certain somehow it was also her first. To tell you the truth, none of them was rather experienced in it. They absolutely had no clue where they were supposed to put their hands on, either their hands should be roaming around each other's body or stay put like they already were at the moment. Let alone their hands, they did not have the faintest idea which sides their heads should tilt without having the tip of their noses smash into one another. Itachi's lips lingered longer than he planned them to and much to his surprise, he didn't feel like breaking off yet. Not now. Not sooner. And certainly not later.

In the fullness of time, Itachi opened his eyes and backed away slowly but surely, his eyes not leaving hers. "Don't pull the same trick on anyone, understood?"

Erika grasped the bottom of her shirt, her eyes looking down. "I – I'm s-sorry. W-won't do that a-again."

He should have been able to read the situation from the way she stuttered earlier. Her face was as red as the tomatoes Sasuke had a taste for and her teeth had been sinking into her lower lip for a while now. The awkward silence hovered around the two and either of them had no desire to break it at any moment. _That was an unwise decision, to begin with._ Itachi could only curse himself on his mind.

"Hey guys, I hope I'm not interrupting anything—" Coming to the rescue, Shisui appeared out of nowhere, "Uh, aren't you guys a little too quiet for a couple enjoying their date?"

"What is it, Shisui?" Itachi found his feet and approached his cousin.

"Oh, nothing," the older Uchiha shrugged. "I'm just here to make sure of you two not crossing the line."

The younger Uchiha narrowed his eyes suspiciously before glancing back at Erika, "I'll be right back."

Itachi pulled his cousin around to a quieter place where they were out of Erika's sight, "You can talk now. I know you have something serious to tell me."

Folding his arms, Shisui's expression grew serious before Itachi knew it. "You can set your mind at rest now, Itachi. No need to brood over the tension between the clan and the village. I've figured out a way to stop the coup and I'm the only in keeping with this mission."

"Whose side are you on, Shisui?" Inquired the ANBU member, "And what is this mission you're talking about?"

"I'm planning to cast Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku-taichou," told Shisui. "Hokage-sama has given his approval to me."

* * *

author's note: hello, just wanna let you know perhaps this chapter will be my last update until i go on a hiatus. no it won't be forever but i think it will take a while since i'm entering college again. actually, i've survived my first week and i failed to be productive whenever i had the time to lol but i'll definitely write when the mood is right.

so i revealed erika's secret power earlier than i first planned. yes, it's the regeneration ability. sakuya had that ability too and what kiyoshi said about sakuya's actual c.o.d isn't false either. cooler than the mokuton, huh? (well, not really) and they kissed! they effing kissed! hoho the kiss should be light since they are in their preteen only lol hope you wouldn't fall asleep while reading the description i put my heart into. im sure anyone wouldn't have expected them to kiss during the training (me neither) and we're officially entering the massacre arc, to boot. im so gonna prepare myself for it!


	14. The Beginning of The End

**Chapter Fourteen** : The Beginning of the End

The light of day drained away from the wide blue yonder, giving way to the velvety dark of night. It had passed by the time both Itachi and Shisui settled on a rendezvous yet the older Uchiha hadn't shown his face.

A few days ago, Shisui announced his plan on using his Kotoamatsukami to make the clan leader change his mind at the next clan meeting, giving rise to the Uchiha ANBU anticipating the clan meeting he always tried to avoid. If truth be told, it took Shisui more time to muster enough courage up than to actually formulate a detailed scheme of it. And now that the long, awaited day had finally arrived, to Itachi's way of thinking, something of great urgency might have set his cousin back, otherwise, a dutiful shinobi like him wouldn't even consider presenting himself late.

Itachi crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers pressing forcefully on his elbows—almost crushing them. It was only the end of October; even so, the wintry air swirled around the edge of the cliff facing the Naka River, taking every lick of warmth it could. He wasn't certain whether the chill was from the early winter breeze or a bad feeling about his cousin not showing up on time.

As the sound of shrubs swaying from side to side caught in his ear, Itachi spun around guardedly only to discover Shisui breathing hard, his hand throwing his sword onto the ground loudly before covering his missing eye.

"Who did that to you?" Asked the younger Uchiha while coming near to the injured young man.

"Turns out Root is involved in this," revealed Shisui. "Change of plans: Danzō stole my right eye and there's nothing we can do about it for now."

Itachi waited until his cousin's breath became steady before setting free his muddled understanding, "Isn't the man you are talking about the commander of Root? One of the Konoha Councils? Whose side does he take to be serious?"

"I'm sure he's still taking Konoha's side but he has his own way to protect the village. And it seems that he doesn't trust me completely, for that reason he intends to execute this mission I've been assigned to on his own."

Itachi frowned disapprovingly, "By stealing your eye?"

"Like I said, he has his own way to protect the village which no one can understand."

The Uchiha ANBU paused. Danzō's own way to protect Konoha wasn't the only thing that lacked understandability but also Shisui's ability to overcome negative thoughts when the Root commander had all but took his life.

"For my part, Danzō stealing your right eye could indicate that your attempt at stopping the coup went against his wish. Do you happen to have the faintest idea what his wish is?"

"I don't know for sure but he hinted at a massacre once." Shisui continued, "Of course neither of us would wish for that. We won't let that happen, come what may. We must take action before the coup arises because if the worst comes to worst, other villages might take that opportunity to wreak havoc with the Leaf and it might result in a greater war among nations if it's prolonged. As a last resort, a sacrifice for a greater purpose is needed."

"I agree," Itachi nodded. "Let's be careful before doing anything from now on by making plans about what we are going to do after this—"

Unconsciously, the Uchiha cop raised his voice; "We don't have much time, Itachi!" he looked around cautiously in anticipation of touching his eyelid. "Root—I'm certain Danzō ordered them to come after my left eye. Before this comes into their possession, I want you to have it instead."

The younger Uchiha stared blankly at him before making a noise, "Shisui… Are you out of your mind? What will happen to you afterward?"

"It's not that I'm giving up early on life. I swear I were _dying_ to fight along with you until the end if I could, my friend, but, enough with the empty hope. I entrust this village and the Uchiha name to you…" Shisui bravely spread his eye socket out, his unusual patterned Sharingan bulging out leading up to being taken off of its orbit.

Just when he was close to handing Itachi his recently plucked eyeball, the Uchiha ANBU clenched his fist on the spur of the moment, drawing it back. "No… I cannot take it. I won't take it. This is not the end, Shisui! We will find another way out together. Yeah, _together_. After all, I – I don't think I can handle everything by myself. Not without you. In reality, I am faced with two options—whether to choose the village over the clan or vice versa. It's practically impossible to choose both, Shisui. Especially when you have to pass on this heavy responsibility to me alone. So please, from the bottom of my heart, don't give up on life yet."

"I'm not passing on a new, heavy responsibility for you to take over. With this eye, you're able to use Kotoamatsukami, the strongest Genjutsu once and have to wait for it to activate again in another decade. Therefore, use it wisely," explained Shisui at the time he summoned a flock of crows, the Summon he shared with Itachi. Intentionally, he transplanted his left eye to one of the crows seeing that his cousin was still taking his time to accept his decision, let alone the situation. Having said that, the older Uchiha was confident that his perceptive cousin had already figured out the words he'd been searching through his mind, even though he was having a hard time to let it all out.

"I'm also giving a new power to you—the Mangekyō Sharingan," Without hurrying, Shisui took a wide step back.

"Don't take another step back, Shisui. I dare you." Weakly, Itachi moved forward as Shisui moved back, his hand ready to stretch out.

"Don't stop me, Itachi. If you truly are my friend…" Shisui's speech stopped the Uchiha ANBU in his tracks. "Consider this as my dying wish at last. So please, carry it as well."

The younger Uchiha bit his quivering lower lip, holding back a torrent of tears that he would never put on display. Before he stated anything further, Shisui went on to say first, "Come on, don't give me that look. It's not like Erika dumps you or anything."

"You cannot even see the face I'm making."

"Yeah, but I know you for so long. You're already like a little brother I wish I could have, but don't laugh, okay? You'll only ruin the mood and that's the last thing I actually want at my death door." Shisui cleared his throat, "So long, Itachi. It is… nice knowing you, really. And my apologies for not being able to stand by your side until the happy ending we always envisage. Just because my journey ends here, doesn't mean yours have to. I trust you—no, I believe you'll achieve it. Our clan regaining our village's trust and our village putting their trust in the Uchiha again. What's more beautiful than it?"

In a little while, Shisui continued stepping back blindly, moving closer to the edge of the cliff. "Achieving it together with you is," Itachi's hand encircled his cousin's wrist firmly, "Come on, Shisui. It's never too late. I give my word I will not make fun of your suicide attempt once in the future. And then we'll get your right eye back from Danzō and—"

"I'm blind already. Are you going to break my wrist after this?" The older Uchiha let out a forced laugh as he tried to break off of his cousin's tight grip, "Do you know what is the true mark of a shinobi, Itachi?"

Without a doubt, Itachi let go of his grip to notice that he had unintentionally left a quite visible red mark around his cousin's wrist, "Shisui, this is not the right time to start a deep conversation. Not on the edge of the cliff, to say the least. Come back here, I'll give you my—"

"Self-sacrifice, it is." Suddenly, the blind young man let his body fall into the streaming Naka River, leaving the younger Uchiha aghast. The only noise he could hear was his own pounding heart, deafening him to the point of losing his focus eventually. His jaws hung open without being asked, followed by his knees losing their balance, dropping into the hard ground. As his eyes watched Shisui's body dive into the streaming water, unusual production of massive chakra surged into his eyes. Unknowingly, his Sharingan swirled into an unconventional pattern, dissimilar to his cousin's to boot.

What's the use of awakening a new power he never aimed to take away from if he was left with no option but to go through a tragedy first? It was at that moment, he got himself involved in the infamous curse of hatred.

* * *

Everything had gone back to normal. Erika's life was no exception. After she had recovered, she returned to the hospital (now as a doctor, thankfully) and started making up for the shift she wasn't able to take during her recess by working overtime. But today, the emergency room hadn't been crowded to require her helping hand on the night shift and Mayumi didn't ask her to cover for her because she had another date to attend (yes, Erika worked as a nurse from time to time, too). It went without saying that she would take the opportunity to go home early tonight.

The other days before, Erika hadn't been able to hang out with Itachi when he had generously picked her up. Thanks to the nonstop patients she had to see. To be quite honest, it wasn't like she was everybody's preferred doctor—she was actually the last doctor that the patients ever requested for. The type of doctor that would make her patients regret ever neglecting their health and not be cautious enough to dodge a kunai being thrown at them. Just when the other favored doctors had had enough on their plates already, they were left with no option but to allocate their patients to Erika.

But what is more important was today she was unoccupied at all. It had been quite a while since the last time she walked along the riverside and breathed in the fresh air. Her light as a feather steps bounced to the melody she hummed to. Since it had also been quite some time since she spent time alone with Itachi, she decided to go and get him at the front gate. Itachi not fetching her first (and no information that he was going on a long-term mission) could mean that he hadn't come back from his mission, and seeing that she had been paying less attention to him, perhaps she could compensate him by taking the initiative to pick him up first.

Suddenly, when Erika was just around the corner of the street, about to turn at the crossroads, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a floating body on the surface of the flowing water. Hurriedly yet carefully, she slid down the slippery riverbank. Sufficient amount of chakra was focused on the back of her feet so that the flow of the water wouldn't carry her away. Sitting on her knees, Erika hesitantly turned around the poor young man who was wearing an Uchiha crest on the back of his shirt. She had a really, _really_ bad feeling about this—God forbid! For a short time, she shut her eyes before opening them again.

"Uchiha Shi-shisui?!" She was taken aback, almost tossing Shisui's corpse forward if she hadn't regained her composure that very minute. In fact, a few years experience in giving treatment to patients didn't minimize the heart attack she would receive every time a patient died on her.

To make matters worse, Uchiha Shisui had been deprived of his both eyes. Bruises could be seen all over his cold skin, but the most visible was about his wrist. Wasting no more time, Erika activated her Byakugan to make certain of the premises based on her physical examination. It turned out that the poor, young man was suffering mild brain trauma due to the collision with a still unknown, sharp object, which fractured the skull. Not only that, water had also filled up his lungs to the point of causing the blood to escape his ruptured blood vessels. Shisui's condition couldn't be worse if Erika had shown up earlier. If only she hadn't taken the time to take an evening stroll. If only she hadn't argued back to Mayumi when she provoked her initially. _If_ only.

Because from where Erika stood, it unmistakably looked like that Shisui was killed by someone else rather than himself.

At the end of the day, the discovery of Uchiha Shisui's dead body brought Erika to the police station for the first time in her entire life. If she thought she would be interrogated for being the witness to Shisui's death, sad to say that she was mistaken at last.

The interrogation room was definitely not the place to find warmth, especially when Uchiha Fugaku was sitting across you. The captain of Konoha Military Police Force coughed, "I see that you've regained your strength and gone back to work. But have I warned you to be watchful when you are going out or at least have someone accompany you?"

Erika frowned. Everything was wrong with Fugaku. And not to mention, his clan also took part in all this harassment. The first time she crossed the threshold of the police station, she noticed the office was empty—let alone the office, there was no sign of living even in the Uchiha Compound, as though the residents were gathered in a large, secret base to steer clear of any passersby. For that reason, Erika had to bid her time until one by one of the Uchiha came out of a shrine. At first, one of the clansmen even accused her of listening in on their clan meeting. Luckily, the head clan who turned out to be the captain of the police force recognized her immediately and asked her to meet him in his office after she stated that Shisui was found dead by the Naka River.

"Wait, you're not calling me as the witness to Uchiha Shisui's murder but as a victim of the last incident?" Protested the young doctor as she tried her best not to raise her voice.

"All right, since you're the one finding his corpse, I suppose you have the right to know," Fugaku pulled out a ripped piece of paper and slid it over the table, "It's a suicide case. We have sent off our men to his house and we discovered a suicide note in it. You may take a look if you're interested."

 _I'm tired of the duties… There is no future for the Uchiha and for me... I cannot walk out the 'path' anymore._

"I can tell from your look that there are still many questions you're going to ask me, but I'm not going to answer those," the wicked-eyed man went on to say. "Shall we move on?"

"No, Fugaku-san, I'm not going to ask further questions regarding the letter. But I am going to make you think twice about assuming it as a suicide rather than a homicide case." Persuaded Erika.

Fugaku heaved a sigh, "If it's indeed a murder case, what are you going to do? Sue me for being imprecise? We are shinobi, after all. And you're a doctor, you should have known better! Every time we go on a mission, we're exposing our lives to danger. For that reason, death is unavoidable at this rate."

"Yes, I know. Of course. In fact, that's what tells a shinobi and a doctor apart. Most of our fallen patients are shinobi, and because of that, we, doctors appreciate people's lives more than most people. But Fugaku-san, you do acknowledge me as a doctor, at least listen to the explanation from a doctor's point of view for once. I will not force you to reinvestigate this case, but if my alibi perhaps changes your mind, you are free to do Shisui justice. How about it?"

"Fine, I'll hear you out," grunted the police captain. "Because I will have to warn you for the last time, Hyūga Erika. It's regarding the murder attempt case you were a victim of."

"All right," Erika nodded. "Err, do you want to go first, Fugaku-san?"

"No. I'm only going to warn you. It will only disturb your mind and I'm afraid you'll be forgetting your convincing alibi the next second you hear it."

"That won't happen," the young doctor smirked. "Without beating around the bush, what does make me so sure that it is, in reality, a homicide case rather than a suicide case? Because Uchiha Shisui had broken his skull in a collision with a sharp object – I am confident that it was a rock. But the force of the collision depends on the height of the position where he was thrown. The greater the height difference, the greater the impact is. And since I discovered Uchiha Shisui's corpse floating on the stream of the Naka River, a river that flows through Konoha. And judging by the height earlier, I speculate that the possible crime scene would be the edge of the cliff in the vicinity of the Uchiha Complex."

"Are you done?" was all Fugaku responded.

"I have more evidence! And I'm not finished yet."

The police captain glared at the young doctor as though he was prepared for switching on his Sharingan, "I appreciate your speculation, even though you're just a brat. But do not expect that I have no idea about how physics work. I've figured out where the crime scene took place way before you breathed in and began blabbering. After all, the cliff has been a quite popular place for suicides; furthermore, this case is not the first suicide case we've taken."

"But have you noticed the bruise on his wrist? I'm sure you're clever enough to discern that the bruise was caused by someone else's _hand_ , not a collision with a rock."

Fugaku didn't object this time, at a loss for word. A triumphant smile plastered on Erika's face for a split second. She added, "Moreover, his eyes were removed from their sockets. And you call yourself a fellow Uchiha after knowing about the fact?"

Angrily, he struck the table hard as he raised his voice, "And what do you expect me to do next? Exact revenge for one of my clansmen like the Senju do against your mother?"

It was Erika's turn to be lost for words. Honestly, she wasn't offended—not in the slightest. It regretfully caused her to realize that she had crossed the line and the clan issues were a sensitive topic that she shouldn't have brought up in the very beginning. As for her, her clan issues had been an open secret that everyone in the village used to spread rumors that she herself couldn't even distinguish between the truths and the falsehoods anymore. However, as time went by, people began to grow sick and tired of the drama that the Senju caused and stopped talking about it, at least not in front of her. After a while, Itachi's father became the first to tell it to her face when least expected and much to her surprise, it felt more shocking than mortifying.

"… Sorry," he spoke in an undertone, almost whispering. "I'll reconsider the truth you tried to demonstrate and take it to further investigation. About the issues with the Senju—"

"That's okay," Erika cut off. "After all, it was my fault to provoke you in the first place."

"I haven't done speaking yet."

"Oh, my bad."

Fugaku leaned back to his chair relaxingly, his onyx eyes staring intimidatingly, "I'm asking the same questions as the other days, have you ever done your Senju clansmen wrong, by any chance?"

"And my answer will still be the same," Erika knitted her brows suspiciously. "No, I barely exchange three words with them."

"The worst-case scenario has become a reality then," warned the police captain. "And now that Senju Sakuya had passed away, the Senju will come for you to satiate their revenge. So, be more careful from now on, do not say you've never been warned."

* * *

There was no sky today, only a rough woolen blanket of mottled grey to cover the villagers of Konohagakure and block out the sun. Coincidentally, the gloom of the day was reflected in the moods of the villagers. The perfect weather was specifically suited to mourn for a fallen comrade. You wouldn't break a sweat for putting on all black attire for the entire day. For that reason the weather was considered perfect—it didn't come all day because death was feared yet inescapable.

Earlier this morning, Kiyoshi asked his daughter to accompany him to attend the funeral of an acquaintance, and that acquaintance turned out to be Shisui. _What a small world we live in…_

"Otou-san," called Erika when one of the Uchiha she couldn't recognize delivered his eulogy. "You said this is a private funeral, right? But how did you get yourself invited when you two were merely _acquaintances_?"

The ANBU commander pretended to pay full heed to the eulogy deliverer, and not to mention to also put on an act to be touched. "Shisui was a skilled shinobi during his lifetime. Paying respects to him is the least I can do after he has gone."

"But that doesn't answer my question at all!" Point out his daughter, "Let me guess, he used to be one of your subordinates then?"

"Not quite. But Itachi teamed up with him during the ANBU entrance exam once and I couldn't help but notice his talent," revealed Kiyoshi. "Show your respect by paying attention quietly, will you?"

Erika didn't wish to distract her father, yet she got lost in thought just when her hazel eyes wandered around the visitors. There was Uchiha Fugaku standing at the front line, still giving the black look even at the funeral. And by his side, stood Mikoto, caressing Sasuke's back while crying his eyes out. Even so, she didn't catch sight of Itachi. Where could he be? Weren't the two known for being best friends that even an inconsiderate man like Kiyoshi was in the know about their friendship?

It could be that Itachi still couldn't accept the death of his cousin. Of course, it would be difficult. Letting go the life of the loved one was never easy to start with. It felt surreal when you had just met them the day before and wouldn't be able to do so the next day. That's what she also felt when Sakuya passed away. She remembered clearly that Itachi was there when she was grieving for her mother. And now that it was the time that he had to suffer the loss of his loved one as if life was playing them dirty by taking turns, at the very least she could kindly offer a shoulder to cry on if he needed her to be.

But it wasn't life that played dirty but actually the time. The timing was just always bad or looked bad. We could laugh heartily without knowing that we would shed tears the next day, or minute, or worse—second. And the more we lived for the moment, the quicker it went by. Erika agreed that time healed everything and as a doctor, she admitted it was the best, irreplaceable medicine in the world. Be that as it may, she couldn't make sense of why time had the ability to destruct simultaneously.

"It's going to rain soon," concluded Kiyoshi after looking up at the gloomy sky. "Aren't you working today? Because I'm going to head back to work soon."

"I'm taking the night shift today," Erika answered. "Go ahead first, Otou-san. I'm going home after this, too. Oh, I'll go take out dinner for you on my way back."

"Thanks. Also, don't forget to get yours," reminded him before he turned his body around and walked off. "Oh, and the laundry!"

"Don't worry too much, seriously…" the daughter waved her hand reluctantly, "See you!"

Erika lied. She didn't return home immediately after but stayed at the cemetery for a while until the rain suddenly poured down, washing away the feelings of guilt for lying to her father earlier and for spacing out during the whole funeral ceremony. To tell you the truth, she was waiting patiently for Itachi. She wasn't sure why but she had a strange feeling that he would only show up if the other visitors had gone home, as though he was avoiding them.

The rain became heavier, yet still, no signs of Itachi turning up. Erika crouched down to hug her knees, warming up her chilled body to a certain extent. Soaking her face in her knees, she closed her eyes in the hope that the time would roll by swiftly like she was enjoying the moment. The sound of the rain falling down deafened her; all the same, the raindrops stopped hitting her head all of a sudden. She glanced up to see Itachi cover her bent down body with an umbrella in his hand, gazing down at her in despairingly.

"What are you doing out here? It's raining. You'll catch a cold," began him.

"I'm waiting for you to come out. What does it look like?" Erika rose to her feet, her gaze softening, "I – I'm really sorry for your loss. I know that you two were close, so it must be kind of difficult for you… But stay strong, okay? I – I'll stay by your side whenever you need me or whenever you need someone to talk to or—"

Before she finished her words, the Uchiha ANBU let out a half-suppressed laugh.

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing out of the blue?" Annoyed, Erika put her hands on her hips.

"Forgive me, it has been a while since I laughed. I think I almost forgot when the right time to laugh is," he smiled woefully before glancing to his side. "Did you come by yourself?"

"I only kept my father company but he went to work not too long ago," she rubbed her hands together to make herself warm. "What about you? I saw your father, your mother, and Sasuke as well. But why did you only show up just now?"

"Are you cold? Come closer, I'll get you warm," Itachi pulled her close to his side, his arms wrapping around her shoulders. Momentarily, he paused as he stared at Shisui's tombstone with a blank look on his face. "I dislike it when people take pity on me. That's… _all_."

"Is that so?"

Itachi nodded weakly, still avoiding direct eye contact with her.

"But why didn't you look me in the eye when you said that?" She read him a little bit quicker than he predicted, her hazel eyes not moving away from his eyes. In the end, she broke off. "Fine. Maybe it is not the right time to make a clean breast of it. You still need some time to be alone and I'll gladly give you some space. But when you're feeling a bit better, make sure to tell me the truth, okay? I'll be waiting."

If it wasn't the right time to get it off his chest, he didn't have the idea when. Everybody had their own limits, including Itachi. He had been keeping all of his trials and tribulations to himself for so long that he forgot when the last time he actually opened up to someone was. And Erika had been considerate enough not to force him to reveal his inner thoughts when he wasn't ready, even though she was eager to know. However, it also wasn't the first time he thought that he had reached his limits. There were several times before when he nearly told all to Shisui that he didn't want to enlist in ANBU in the first place, that he didn't want to become heir to the Uchiha Clan, that he didn't ever want to meddle in the issue the clan took with the village. But he was left with no option but to carry his duty out. As a son of his family, as an heir to the Uchiha Clan, as an ANBU member of Konoha, and as a _traitor_ to come.

Or he was reluctant to choose to be selfish because he knew anyone else wouldn't ever have second thoughts to do it. Hence, he had no choice.

But now he had.

"I'm heading back first. I'm freezing—"

"Wait, Erika," Itachi looked into Erika's hazel eyes assuredly. "I will tell you everything here and now. I deliberately got here late because my clansmen are pointing the finger at me for murdering Shisui."

* * *

Author's note: heyo, i'm back! and it's been a while. if you notice i kinda changed my writing style hoho hope you don't mind. like the title says, it is literally the beginning of the end- the angst starts here. i feel terrible for killing shisui early, seriously, who doesn't want him in a story, he's the ray of sunshine to this gloomy fic tbh, but i have to follow where the cannon went. having said that, i didn't really follow how logic goes lol erika playing detective and all, thanks to the crime drama i've been enjoying recently, but too bad i can't even write one properly (at least i tried ok?)


	15. The Tip of the Iceberg

**Chapter Fifteen** : The Tip of the Iceberg

"… I deliberately got here late because my clansmen are pointing the finger at me for murdering Shisui."

The sound of the heavy rain suddenly stopped, replaced by the deafening silence.

"Is that so…?" Erika stuttered, "W-why?"

Itachi let out a long, despairing sigh, "Because we were the only two who didn't attend the clan meeting on that very day. We went on our separate missions. But, to tell you the truth… I was also the last person to see him before he met his end."

Little did she know that she had been holding her breath since the Uchiha ANBU began talking. She exactly knew where this conversation would go in the end and she deep down wished that she could somehow turn back the time and dismiss the very idea that Uchiha Shisui was murdered instead of committing suicide.

On the other hand, her diagnosis shouldn't have gone wrong. The medical evidence showed beyond doubt that the poor victim was pushed off of the cliff and to make matters worse, his eyes were suspiciously stolen. To pay her respects to him, justifying his cause of death was the least she could do, to her way of thinking.

But what if Itachi really _killed_ Shisui? Would she still be able to accept him?

"It was purely a coincidence, was it not?" Erika asked, her eyes glistening full of hopes.

She would still accept him no matter what. Heck—she would still love him the same, come what may. But _love_ was a strong word that a child like her shouldn't use—it was like a taboo. Did she even know what the meaning of love is? To love someone to the point of you are blinded by it. Everyone's been telling how much of a fool you are for being too engaged in this so-called puppy love, but you don't care. What's more, their warning only went in one ear and out the other.

"Yes, of course," the Uchiha ANBU continued, his talking going faster, making it rather difficult to perceive. "Shisui was my best friend. I even regarded him as my own older brother. Taking his life was the last thing I ever wished—"

All of a sudden, Itachi shut his mouth as his face lost its color. His onyx eyes almost swirled into Sharingan in a hurry, and in horror, to boot, causing Erika to turn around to catch sight of a mysterious, elderly man whose half of body was covered in bandages. His other visible hand was holding a cane, letting the drops of rain pour onto his head freely. Nonchalantly, as though he was not interrupting at all (when he clearly was), the one-eyed man walked past them. He then stood still before Shisui's tomb and looked like he was praying from behind.

Both Erika and Itachi exchanged a confused look before the elderly man finished offering his prayers.

"My deepest condolences for your family's loss, Itachi." Addressed him in an undertone, "But don't mourn for the dead for too long. Keep in mind that you still have your duty and responsibility as an ANBU member and as the heir to your clan."

Itachi quietly bowed his head, "I understand."

"Come to the council room whenever you are ready," The elderly man spun his body around carefully, his eye giving the black look. "There is something that we would like to discuss with you."

He left without another word, nor Itachi seemed to be willing to bid him farewell. Erika was also aware of him clenching his hands ever since the uninvited visitor came on the scene.

"Don't listen to him," Erika reached out to Itachi's hand. "Take however long you need to recover. The duties can wait—he even stated that you could come whenever you're ready."

Hesitatingly, Itachi drew back his hand, his eyes avoiding hers.

As if Erika could assuredly read his mind, she began again, "Do you really have to go? No—do you _really_ want to go?"

"Forgive me, but there's something urgent I need to verify with him." Before he walked away, he looked at her woefully for a split second. "I – I'll talk to you later."

Erika bit her quivering lip. She tried to understand him, yet it turned out to be harder than she could've imagined.

* * *

Just when Itachi stepped into the council room, the Konoha council who seemed to be holding a casual conversation discontinued what they were deliberating seriously about. All eyes in the room were kept on him, giving off different meanings. Some of them gave the impression of pitying him, but some showed signs of suspecting. Although he had been getting used to being under suspicion, big thanks to his clansmen.

"We are truly sorry for the loss of your cousin," greeted the Third with a cough beforehand.

"Do you have something to tell us about?" Koharu softened her gaze.

"For your information, Koharu, despite his young age, he's also a member of Konohagakure ANBU. Death is a common thing for us. We take a shorter time to cope with the loss of our fallen comrades than average shinobi. That being the case, do not openly take pity on us. It will only make us look like bad people." Danzō pointed out coldly while his hand fixing his dressing.

"Just a friendly reminder, we no longer live during the war, Danzō," added Homura, "And you made yourself look like a bad person just by saying that."

"Enough, Homura, Danzō." Hiruzen directed his gaze to the young Uchiha, "I suppose Danzō rushed you to step foot in here sooner than we expected you to send yourself in, correct?"

In his heart of hearts, Itachi wished to give the nod to it without hesitation, aloud if he could. However, the more he considered the pros and cons of it, it would only bring himself to give every indication of provoking the Foundation commander.

Speaking of the devil, _he_ who must not be named had been glaring at Itachi up to this time.

"No," lied the Uchiha ANBU, "He told me that I am free to come whenever my heart is prepared. And I've been taught to put my duty first under any circumstances, for that reason, I chose to come here immediately."

"Kiyoshi sure has disciplined him well—"

"It felt like yesterday since Itachi joined Kiyoshi's division. A man as hectic as he has had enough on his plate already to be able to train every subordinate under his command personally." Danzō continued, "What I am trying to say is, it would be such a waste to keep him in that pathetic division when he could grow his potential to contribute more for ANBU."

The four-eyed man furrowed his brows, "Just go straight to the point without disgracing others, Danzō," commented him. "I bet that's what Nidaime would say if he ever heard you said that."

"I'm recruiting him for my division, the Foundation,"surprised Danzō. "Itachi could be the captain of the new unit consisted of three in my division. And Homura, have you become senile? Lord Second despised the Uchiha so much. He wouldn't give this kind of opportunity randomly to any of them. Unlike his brother, Tobirama-sensei learned from other's mistakes so that he wouldn't have to go through the same experience again. But I have faith that Itachi is different from the other Uchiha. Never have I seen someone with more sense of belonging than he has to this village."

"What did I say about you watching your mouth every time we're having a third party over?!" The only woman in the room raised her voice.

"There's no need to rub salt into the wound, Koharu. And Danzō, Koharu's right. You should at the very least be in sympathy with others," Hiruzen looked daggers at the two before gazing back toward the Uchiha ANBU. "May I ask how old are you, Itachi?"

"I am turning 13 next week, Sandaime-sama."

"Perhaps Danzo is right. A skillful shinobi like you have been more than qualified to be in command of his own ANBU unit."

"Wait, Hiruzen—will it not make him the _youngest_ ANBU captain in history?" Protested Koharu.

"How old was Kakashi when he got promoted?"

Homura rose to his feet all of a sudden, his hand pushing the table slightly forward. "Are you certain about this, Hiruzen? You are rarely of the same mind as Danzō before! Not this hasty, to say the least. Does my opinion regarding this still matter? Have you asked for his parents' permission, by any chance? What about this boy? What if he's not prepared for the proposed position yet?"

"Calm down, Homura. I'm not seeing eye to eye with Danzō as soon as that. In fact, I will still be taking it into careful consideration." Assured the Third, "As for Itachi, tell us your final answer whether you're ready to take more responsibility or not after you have turned 13 next week. Until then, no decision has been made. Any objections?"

Itachi wasn't sure if he seriously had to request for his parents' approval concerning this sudden promotion. For all he knew, his father could be exceptionally proud of his achievement but at the same time, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to be against it, too. Him being appointed as an ANBU captain could mean less time to spare in attending the clan meeting, which had been one and the same issue his father took every time they crossed each other's path.

Be that as it may, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he was more than willing to take the opportunity to report directly to the one who stole Shisui's? _An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth_.

The room remained quiet.

"No? You may dismiss then."

* * *

As far as Erika could remember, her least favorite patient got admitted to the hospital again due to the usual reason, otherwise known as the excessive use of the Sharingan. How was she informed of it? Not directly, seeing that the copy nin would become the talk of the hospital not long after he entered the hospital.

If her memory also served her correctly, Kakashi was the captain of the team Itachi was a member of. She would only be lying if she said she didn't anticipate the Uchiha ANBU to knock on the window again just like the last time. Did she miss him somehow? Not quite sure. Maybe a _little_ —the last time she met him was at Shisui's burial ceremony, and after that, she hadn't heard anything from him.

Mere formality, she knocked on the door that had a 'do not disturb' sign attached to it. Not getting answers, she opened the door quietly and sneaked a look into the room to find Kakashi reading his best-loved adult book in silence, as per usual.

"H-hey, I came to change your dressing—"

"The other nurse just did." Was all he said.

"Oh, really?" Surprisingly enough, the young doctor pulled the empty chair to the side of Kakashi's bed and took a seat there.

"You're not feeling uncomfortable at all to be a spectator to a grown man reading an adult book when you're only—how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Right, _fourteen_." The ANBU captain sighed in defeat, "Perhaps I'm the one feeling rather uncomfortable here. Should I read it aloud to drive you away?"

"No, no, no, don't mind me! Please make yourself at home, Hatake-san!" Erika nervously cleared her throat, "But don't pay your full attention to that porno _literature_ only and make it private, please, because I only want to hear your answers to my questions, not what you're reading. Understood?"

His eyes never left the book, his finger effortlessly turning the page over. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Just ask away."

"Did you plan on having a visitor over? Or… do they forget to pick you up this time?"

"Nope," replied the copy nin. "I let them know not to disturb me while I'm taking a break to recover. I also told them the infamous medic who gives me treatment is the commander's daughter and is feared by him."

"Were you in your right mind while spreading such a rumor about me?! I – I can't believe you, Hatake-san!"

Kakashi heaved a sigh, "A rubbish. That's what you get if you're beating around the bush with me. If you cannot handle it, just ask bluntly like how you usually make an announcement to your patient that they're diagnosed with cancer."

Erika stared in disbelief, "It means not getting the patient's hopes up— _ugh_ , whatever!" Still nervously, she passed her tongue over her lower lip, "Err, how has been Itachi doing lately?"

"In spite of mourning for Uchiha Shisui, he's doing pretty well, as far as I can tell," the ANBU captain looked away from his book for a moment to glance at the young medic, "He didn't take a day off or two when the commander had already given his approval. He's been putting on an act as though everything has been normal from the start, which worries me occasionally."

Finally, Erika could sigh in relief after she knew that Itachi was all right, although Kakashi could be right about him pretending to be fine. But he was normally like that—just Itachi _being_ Itachi. Keeping things to himself, for who knows how much longer, perhaps forever—carrying it to the grave. It was normal for Itachi's standards. Including the fact that he totally forgot about her actual existence and was ignoring her as yet.

Quite the contrary to her, not a day went by when she didn't think of him. It wasn't fair. It had not been from the first start.

"It will be his birthday soon," revealed Erika. "…Do you think I can surprise him by… you know, tagging along with you while on a mission?"

"Frankly speaking, it will be much harder to keep you from harm than to execute the mission itself."

* * *

Itachi nearly failed to recall that it was indeed his birthday today if Mikoto hadn't made him stand awkwardly in front of his own birthday cake while singing him the happy birthday song loudly and cheerfully in the morning. A mother knew her son's schedule better than anyone; she woke Sasuke up with the chickens so that the two of them were able to belt out the song loud enough to get Fugaku out of bed, annoyed.

Today, he turned 13. He wasn't very concerned about his age, to begin with—if truth be told, he didn't care. But since it was settled that he had to make up his mind whether to transfer to Danzō's division or not today, it caused his stomach to anxiously flutter at the beginning of the day.

Still, he was secretly filled with gratitude toward his family. All these hardships somehow taught him to appreciate little things in life while it lasted.

Coming to a decision was already hard enough, and then breaking the news could be _harder_. The ANBU captain had left a message not to look for him during his recess unless emergency while Itachi had also thoroughly planned on notifying him first.

Coincidentally or not, the copy nin made it this morning, unusually on time.

"That's it for the briefing. If there aren't any questions, you are all dismissed!" Ordered Kiyoshi.

The other ANBU members dispersed with no trace, only leaving the youngest behind.

The commander's gaze fell on him. He coughed as he began, "Sandaime has told me everything about it, if that's what bothering you."

"I also have made up my mind," stressed Itachi. "Sir, this will be the last time I am reporting directly to you as your subordinate. I would like to express my thanks to you for bringing me in. These past years have been unforgettable, I will cherish it forever."

Kiyoshi paused, at a loss for words. After a little while, he relaxed his tense body and leaned back to his chair. "I should've been the one thanking you, Itachi, as your former commander and as Erika's father. I have no idea what kind of wonders you did with my daughter; she has taken a turn for the better with each passing day. I knew entrusting her with you was a wise decision that I wouldn't regret. But as a father, I hope your friendship with her will not stop blooming just because you're no longer obliged to carry out my special order. That is all from me, I guess."

"Of course, Sir. Erika is a precious friend of mine," the Uchiha ANBU chuckled to himself as the memories of meeting Erika again for the first time in a long time popped into his head. "I will stay in touch with her."

His expression became serious without notice, "For all that, can I make another request for one last time? As your former commander and as Erika's father this time." Unknowingly, the ANBU commander had gotten up from his seat, sneaking up on Itachi and whispering in his ear, "No matter how dirty the job you're doing, leave her out of this."

* * *

On Itachi's last mission, he intended to give his best to the team he'd been working together with for the last 2 years. Even so, _easier said than done_. The team captain somehow noticed that Itachi had been acting unusually strange today. The Uchiha ANBU frequently let his guard down on purpose by spacing out when he had the chance.

"Itachi, watch out!"

It was too late. The tip of the poisoned kunai had already sliced his skin open.

"Retreat!" Ordered Kakashi ultimately.

"I can still go on—"

The copy nin cut off, "You will die if the poison has spread all over your body. Let's take a rest, shall we?"

"What about the mission, Taichō? We only have less than 3 hours left!"

"Tenzō, as my second in command, you will be taking over from here." Kakashi looked briefly at Itachi, "I will stay here to look after Itachi."

"But Taichō! We have lost track of the enemies! There's no way we could get the scroll back at this rate…" Complained one of the ANBU members.

"Pakkun will show you the way," he stated further. "What are you wasting your time for? Now go!"

Regardless, Kakashi had always been the ideal leader he wished he could ever be. Compared to him who was still ridiculously lacking in experience, would he be able to direct his own team whose members were probably older than him at this rate? The more he turned over in his mind, the more he realized that seemingly, Danzo had something up his sleeve rather than wanting to genuinely facilitate him to prove his capability. Danzo was most likely to have knowledge of him being the closest person to Shisui during his lifetime. He probably would have guessed that Itachi would get even with him for stealing Shisui's Sharingan sooner or later. _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer_ , they said. Now it all made sense.

Before Danzō came up against him, all Itachi had to do was confront him first. It was once again only a matter of time.

"Have you always been this incautious?" Began Team Rō's captain, his hand rummaging in the compact medical kit he carried without fail. "You're lucky that we haven't been running out of antidote until now."

Weakly, Itachi cracked a smile, "You should have gone with the others, Taichō…"

"I just got discharged from the hospital yesterday. The doctor wouldn't welcome me with open arms if I got admitted again today." Without warning, Kakashi injected the antidote into Itachi's arm.

The response the Uchiha ANBU gave when he mentioned the doctor didn't live up to his expectations. Itachi only stared at his injected arm blankly and helplessly. "Fret not, most of the _patients_ I shot up are still alive and kicking now. You'll be thanking me later."

"Oh, no. I'm not looking down on what you have learned at the hospital, Taichō. It's just that—" He breathed out, "I don't know where to start. I don't know whether I should thank you first or apologize for everything I have done wrong first—"

"Whoa, calm down _first_ ," instructed Kakashi, frowning in confusion. "We are all human. We make mistakes from time to time. So, of course, I never demand you to be perfect. As long as you can learn from your mistakes, I'll think highly of you. But the question is, why are you suddenly thanking me and apologizing at the same time?"

"I've been offered to transfer to Danzō-sama's division," announced the Uchiha ANBU. "And I decided not to pass up the opportunity, hence…"

"I see…" Kakashi pressed his lips tight before parting them again, "What position did they offer to you?"

"I've been assigned as the captain of the new unit," Itachi paused. "But I'm not sure myself. I don't feel entitled to the position so soon."

Without a word, Kakashi seated himself beside the young ANBU. He leaned his back against the trunk relaxingly, his head turning up to the peaceful clouds. "I felt the same way when I was first made the captain. You know what? There's no need to doubt yourself because there will always be someone who is better than you," assured the copy nin. "And about your transferal, don't be sorry about it. Tenzō was a member of the Foundation before, but he finds himself more fitting on this team. After all, it's back to a matter of compatibility."

"Thank you for your understanding, Taichō. That was surprisingly heartwarming," his lips curved into a thin smile. "Any advice you got for me?"

"Not really a piece of advice, actually. But I heard today is your birthday, so…" he went on to say, his hand patting Itachi's head awkwardly. "Happy birthday. We're exposed to danger almost every day. Therefore, value your life highly, especially when you have precious people that await you at home."

* * *

The next morning, Erika was informed that her father went to a bar last night with an old friend and got drunk until he had become unaware of his wallet getting purloined.

"Otou-san!" Screamed Erika as she crossed the threshold of the 24-hour bar.

To her surprise, she found out that the old friend her father thoughtlessly got drunk with was none other than Uchiha Fugaku. The police captain suddenly rose from his seat at the corner of the room, slamming the table with his fist angrily. His face went red because of the increase in blood pressure as a result of drinking too much alcohol. It went without saying that he had no idea what he was doing here and now and would probably regret his action later after he had sobered up.

"How dare you make us wash the dirty dishes?! Don't you know who we are? I'm the captain of Konoha Military Police Force! And the dude over there is the ANBU commander! I ask you one last time, still want to make us wash the dirty dishes?" Blabbered Fugaku, hiccupping once in a while.

The barkeeper slapped his own forehead lightly, "Great. They're the respective heads of Konoha elite forces. Whom should I report them to?"

Unexpectedly, Erika heard a familiar voice.

"I will compensate and take responsibility for everything. But kindly let my father and his friend out of this…"

Her heart stopped beating momentarily just when she recognized Itachi's voice.

"Oh, look! My son came to pick me up! Have you heard? My son has just gotten promoted to ANBU captain! And he's only _thirteen_." Fugaku spread his arms widely just when he noticed Itachi's presence.

"Chichi… It's been a while since you complimented me. So, it may take some time to get used to it now." The obedient son moved toward his drunken father and wrapped his father's arm around his neck, "Come on, let's go home. Haha is visiting Obaa-san's house, so she won't see you like this."

"Ah, what a touching reunion! I hope my daughter would do the same for me…" Kiyoshi spontaneously curled his body up into a ball and started crying, "Erika! Sakuya! I miss you!"

Unknowingly, Erika had been standing in front of the door, watching the drunken men's behaviors speechlessly until a waitress approached her. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Miss, but do you mind waiting outside until we send the drunken customers away?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the barkeeper coming toward Itachi's direction, his expression becoming sullen. "How long are you going to stay here? We have other customers to serve, so, hurry up and get out of this place!"

"We won't leave this place until this man's daughter gets here…" explained Itachi. "I'll talk to the other customers if necessary."

"Miss?" Called the waitress, "Do you mind?"

"I'm actually picking up the—"

"About time you arrived." Greeted the recently promoted ANBU captain.

* * *

Author's note: hi, everyone! it's good to be back! merry christmas and happy new year to all of you! finals start next week and here i am, procrastinating and having fun writing this new chapter hehe. first of all, i apologize if this chapter seems a bit messy(?) i know the scene transitions aren't so great and a bit confusing but i promise i'll explain everything in the next chapter!

erika has been surely blinded by love. even tho itachi treats her so bad, she tries to understand him and bear with him. my poor baby :((( and then we have sassy kakashi, shady danzo, drunken kiyoshi and fugaku in this chapter lol despite how messy the scene transitions are, i'm kinda proud of their attitudes here haha


	16. At the End of the Day

**Chapter Sixteen** : At the End of the Day

There were so many things that Erika desperately wanted to speak out but she could barely put it into words. Unknowingly, she had been holding her breath as her mind went blank, her heartbeat gradually pacing up without warning. Her hand curled up into a ball to hide her nervousness but her nails digging into her sweating palm made it worse.

Noticing how she avoided him at all costs reminded him of the regret he should be expressing at the moment. Vividly, Itachi recalled ever deserting her in the rain. Thank heavens that she never made a fool out of herself by waiting for him to come back and carry on with the deep conversation they were close to immersing themselves in. Or she evidently had without him knowing? Regardless of that, he deep down felt relieved that she was capable of standing on her own two feet as yet.

Erika frowned at Itachi not feeling guilty to all appearances. As if she never heard his greeting earlier, she turned to the table where the two drunken men were sitting at and rushed to their direction. "Otou-san!" Exclaimed her before looking for the responsible barkeeper, "I came to pick him up."

"For your information, they _almost_ caused a rowdy commotion last night," the bald man glared fiercely at the ANBU commander and the police captain. "They accused any visitors that passed them by of stealing their wallets. An excuse for getting away with not being able to pay the bill, not something new I encounter."

"Well, it is true that their wallets got stolen."

"Do you have proof?" Asked the barkeeper, "If they didn't have any money, why came to the bar in the first place?"

Erika sighed in defeat, "All right, I'll pay for everything they have caused as an apology. How much will it be?"

"80.000 Ryō."

She checked her purse reluctantly and before long, her face lost its color once she found out that she only had a maximum of 20.000 Ryō left with her. She gazed upward nervously, not having the courage to look the barkeeper directly in the eye. She was _doomed._ In preparation for Itachi's birthday, she had saved up some money to buy him an expensive gift (even if he never asked for it) and now she only had a little money left with her. If only she'd had knowledge of the price in advance, perhaps she could've borrowed some money from either Mayumi or Hideki-sensei—particularly anyone that had the potential to save her from this embarrassment!

"They drank _that_ much?" Doubted the young medic, "Has alcohol always been this costly or they, by any chance destroyed one of the tables here while being intoxicated?"

"Of course, a minor like you wouldn't be familiar with any of these. It wouldn't have cost the earth if your father and his friend had ordered a bottle of Sake or any alcoholic beverages that the convenience store retails instead of the specialties of the house—"

All of a sudden, the Uchiha ANBU stood by the side of the flustered daughter and put a certain amount of money down on the table, "There you go."

Erika eyed him in disbelief just when the bald man calculated the money. "It's still not enough. Needs 20.000 Ryō more," announced him.

"I got this!" Hurriedly, she emptied her purse and placed the last amount of money she had on the table loudly.

The barkeeper that also turned out to be the bar owner only sneered at them before allowing them to leave. Fortunately, the waitress somehow still treated them with courtesy by seeing them off to the door. "Thank you for your visit! You're very welcome to stop by again next time!" The waitress waved her hand as the customers took their leave, but shortly after, her warm smile turned into a sinister one.

The unwanted silence somehow fell again in between the Uchiha ANBU and the young medic as soon as the door behind them was shut, though their fathers constantly broke it by expressing how stirred they were, neither Itachi nor Erika had the initiative to forcefully bring them back to their respective places.

Turning a deaf ear to the whispering passersby, Itachi thrust his hands casually into his pockets as he began, "I suppose I owe you an apology."

His late realization, strangely enough, took her by surprise, yet she tried her best not to let it show, "What for?"

"Leaving you stranded in the rain and all." He continued, "I should have at the very least, walked you home that day. I'm… _truly_ sorry."

"Fret not. I could walk home on my own and I wouldn't fall sick just because of heavy rain. You underestimate me too much," retorted Erika. She let out a long sigh, speaking to herself under her breath, "You don't even know what you did wrong _again_."

"Erika, I – I regret it. It goes without saying. I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. Especially when we were engaged in serious conversation but then, something came up and I was left with no option but to go," Itachi hesitated for a second before going on to say. "It has not been that long since we saw each other, but a turn of events happened simultaneously to the point of driving me to the edge. Trust me, I would share it all with you if the time and circumstance allowed. Sad to say that it's not as easy as turning my hand over. However… if we ever cross each other's path in the near future, in the right place and at the right time, I'll make certain of you being the first person to know it all."

Her mind went blank all of a sudden. It honestly felt like there were also so many things that she wished to let him know. Even though they basically revolved around her monotonous daily activities at the hospital, she still wished to involve him in every little story of her life. For all that, similar to his manner of plainly putting the blame on time and circumstance, their schedules simply didn't correspond. He risked his life on a different, challenging mission every day, whereas she exerted herself to save as many lives as possible, praying in her heart of hearts that she would _never_ have to face him as a patient. Never.

Be that as it may, when it eventually came to Itachi, it didn't seem like she could ever omit to make assumptions, though most of them were considered _bad_. Still, she couldn't help it since it was the only plausible way not to get her hopes up for nothing.

"Erika…?"

"How about we take a break for now?" Suggested her all of a sudden.

"Y-you're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure myself. Lately, we've been too occupied with our work. We forget to make time for each other—we forget to spend time with one another. I don't know which one of us noticed first, but because we both are busy, we don't make a big deal out of it and forgive each other instantly. But then, what's the point of this relationship? I never demand you to meet me all day, Itachi. I just want you to listen to me when I need someone to talk to and I can also be that someone when you need me to be," she declared, anxiously looking up at the bright sky and glancing back at her drunk father from time to time to make sure he didn't walk off on his own and scare the pedestrians away, "It's scary how I begin to wonder how it was like before I met you..."

As for Itachi, he was as uncertain as Erika was. If truth be told, letting her go was the last thing he ever wanted, but he had no choice. Seeing that he worked for Danzō now, the dangerous mastermind who had put ideas into his best friend's head to kill himself as if the situation they were confronted by was a dead end, he couldn't guarantee Erika a walk in the park as long as a man named Danzō existed. To make matters worse, Erika being Kiyoshi's daughter only added fuel to the flames of Danzo's bitterness toward his former ANBU commander.

Carrying on with their bicker, Fugaku's hiccup clued Itachi in on what was going on, "Even though Konoha has doubts about our work performance now, at least I don't sit around all day and do nothing in my office!"

"Hey, watch your mouth! Being an ANBU commander isn't smooth sailing. Why don't we switch roles just for a day and stand in each other's shoes?" Offered Kiyoshi.

"You don't know what you're saying, Otou-san, and I'm afraid you're gonna regret it," Erika held her father's hand, "Come on, let's go home."

"Wait up, Erika! I –" Just when the young medic spun her body around and studied him, Itachi immediately became tongue-tied. "It's actually my fault to always take your mercy for granted… I'm also well aware of me letting you down more often than not, though I can assure you that I never intended to do so. But please don't say there is _no_ point in this relationship anymore. I have to admit keeping our distance will help us reflect on our mistakes so that we can understand each other better. So, please give _us_ another chance after this break. Regardless of what people say, we are and will always be on good terms."

 _It is about us. Why don't we resolve it together instead of pushing each other back?_

"Take care," she could only nod helplessly as she faked a smile. "Ah!" Before they went their separate ways, she remembered about the gift she prepared for his birthday the other day. Hastily, she pulled the custom necklace out of her purse and tossed it at him.

 _If only either of us could speak our minds frankly, don't you think it would save us some amity?_

Astonishingly, Itachi studied the flashy necklace that had three silver rings and rubies inside them. "You got this for me?"

 _Neither of us reaching out will be the endgame._

"It cost me an arm and a leg, so don't you dare to ever lose it!"

 _Maybe… we are never meant to be in this life, nor in our next life. But knowing that you're out of harm's way is enough._

"You'll be doing fine. Even without me," spoke Itachi under his breath, in the hope that the blowing wind could deliver it to her with clarity.

* * *

As stated by Kiyoshi, being an ANBU commander wasn't smooth sailing at all. Some people might regard this as an advantage, but to Kiyoshi's way of thinking, attending a meeting with the Konoha council was pretty much the same as a _pain_ in the neck, especially when he was still suffering from a hangover at the moment.

In his erroneous ear, Lord Third sounded like he was mumbling incoherently, but he couldn't really blame nor trust his ear at once. "Seems like everyone here already. Ladies and gentlemen, shall we begin?"

"What's on the agenda today?" Inquired Homura reluctantly.

Koharu eyed Danzō suspiciously, "I heard you arranged this meeting. What do you want to tell us about this time?"

"The Uchiha definitely has something up their sleeves and we have to take immediate action before they harm the village." Pointed out the Foundation commander without mincing his words.

At the moment the Council was aware of their old friend bringing up the Uchiha name again, they rolled their eyes at one and the same time. To be frank, they had had enough of Danzō's effort to eradicate the Uchiha by now, except for Hiruzen who fortunately still remained open to new ideas. He came out with: "It goes without saying. I doubt they aren't in the know about the construction purpose of the Uchiha Complex itself is none other than to scrutinize them the entire time. Despite the mistreatment they have been receiving these days, they also helped us build and gain ground so that Konoha has become widely known across the world. Sure, they are still under suspicion of the Kyūbi's assault, but the lack of evidence cannot show us beyond doubt that they were actually the culprits."

Kiyoshi pinched the bridge of his nose, in hopes of sobering up a bit. _Here they go again…_ complained him quietly. He began to wonder whether the Council felt ashamed or not, having not come to a final decision, yet, they already invited practically everyone that had a rank, including the Daimyō to watch them argue over the Uchiha's _destiny_.

"What a drag…" muttered Shukaku, the recently promoted Jōnin commander, "I abandoned my mission for _this_. Nice."

"They're not usually this indecisive, though…" commented the ANBU commander, "But yeah, Danzō-sama could be extremely persistent most of the time."

"How much evidence that you need, to be exact? It is clear that the Uchiha, the clan who possesses such a terrifying Dōjutsu belongs to Konoha. For that reason, we gain the upper hand to restrain them from plotting against the village before it's too late. As you mentioned, they were already in the know about being under suspicion, making every possibility of them planning on a coup d'état in the meantime."

The Daimyō got into the habit of fanning himself while talking, "And your solution to this, Danzō?"

"We have talked this out and we agreed that we will wipe out the whole clan in order to put an end to the curse of hatred," revealed Danzō, catching the audience by surprise.

"The truth is, we will only conduct _this_ operation as a last resort if we have one hundred percent learned that the Uchiha is in the progress of making the coup happen one of these days." Corrected Homura right away.

In the extreme, the Daimyō could only stop fanning himself before stating on further, "Are you sure that the massacre is the _right_ thing to do? Because as far as I am concerned, rushing Senju Sakuya to annihilate her own flesh and blood was a mistake that could have been prevented if we had taken it into more careful and serious consideration."

As soon as his late wife's name being brought up, Kiyoshi went rigid. He clenched his hands strongly to stop his hands from trembling in fear and concentrated his preoccupied mind on the taking place meeting.

"In point of fact, Sakuya didn't kill _all_ of her clansmen, only the responsible ones. She purposefully left out innocent women and children who never actively took part in an attempt to overthrow the government. But look where it led them now, seeking revenge against Sakuya's poor daughter for the crime she's never committed. And I highly doubt the expected death of her daughter, which we will still be avoiding at all costs, won't cause a third party to get even with the remaining Senju at the end of the day, and the cycle will go on at this rate. With this, I believe we just created the Senju's curse of hatred by accident." Koharu added.

The ANBU commander bit his lower lip roughly to the point of drawing blood from it. _How could they freely predict the outcome of Erika's death without feeling guilty in the slightest?_ Despite that, he clearly knew his place and chose not to take a stand for a while.

"No, we are not going to make the same mistake again." Danzō repeated, "After all, we will put all of the Uchiha to death this time, indiscriminately, disregarding women and children that we used to be wrong about."

 _Humans are all over the place, but no humanity to be found._

Shukaku who sat beside him no longer made another insulting yet amusing comment throughout the meeting. Seemingly, the newcomer to the politics was flabbergasted to discover the truth of the Senju tragedy and not to mention, Danzō's master plan to get rid of the Uchiha as if their lives were less meaningful than his dressing that Kiyoshi assumed it had never been changed before. Speaking of which, had he ever removed his bandages and gone around the village, barefaced?

"I see your point, Danzō," the Daimyō slightly nodded, "But in the Senju's case, Sakuya freely offered herself to carry it out. I have to agree that not everyone is allowed to execute this S-ranked mission; the executor sadly has to be a part of the corresponding clan to avoid civil war between the villagers. Moreover, considering the difficulty and the confidentiality of this mission, I'd like to put my trust in an ANBU member whose rank cannot be lowered than a commissioned officer. Anyone meets the criteria?"

The corner of his lips twitched upward in a conceited way, "By coincidence, I have just recruited a new captain to the Foundation. And his name is Uchiha Itachi."

Out of curiosity, Kiyoshi activated his Byakugan to see how the Foundation commander's face would really look like without being covered with any of the bandages. It unexpectedly turned out that Danzō had been hiding a mysterious Sharingan beneath his bandages and activating its eye technique whose effect was still unknown to Kiyoshi. But as far as his Byakugan could tell, he was likely to think that the wicked old man had cast a terrifically powerful Genjutsu on the Daimyō to let himself put a raw idea into his head without even a second thought nor realizing that he had been controlled.

Without further ado, Kiyoshi rose from his seat and pointed at the Foundation commander, "Wake up, Daimyō-sama! You're currently under Danzō's Genjutsu!"

Everyone went panicked and dispersed the illusion on themselves, failing to recall that the Daimyō only acquired little knowledge of Ninjutsu, let alone Genjutsu Dissipation. Before long, Hiruzen picked himself up and hurriedly released the caster's influence from the Feudal Lord before it had more impact on him.

As soon as the political leader regained his consciousness, he panted relentlessly, his eyes blankly staring in horror.

"Danzō, is that true you were using Genjutsu to manipulate Daimyō-sama's decision? Do you know that you aren't allowed to activate any Dōjutsu the moment you have entered the room, for the reason of fairness?" Asked the Sandaime ungrudgingly.

All gaze in the room directed toward the Foundation commander suspiciously. Prior to the main suspect opening his mouth, his index finger aimed at Kiyoshi whose Byakugan was still switched on. "What about him? We broke the _same_ rule. Don't tell me you are going to let him off the hook because catching someone in the act is considered a _right_ thing to do."

Lord Third breathed out deeply, "The meeting has to be suspended. You're all dismissed."

That very minute, Kiyoshi's eyes swirled back into their normal form and before he had the chance to sneak away from the room, Hiruzen cut him off. "Except for Danzō and Kiyoshi, there's something I'd like to talk over with both of you."

As requested by the Sandaime, the two commanders stayed in the room. Just when everyone else had stepped outside, Hiruzen put his hands behind his back, walking around the room as his gaze moved back and forth from Danzō then to Kiyoshi. He coughed as he began, "I disappoint in you two, especially you, Danzō."

The bigger offender didn't move a muscle, nor make any response, causing his old friend to do nothing but sigh for the countless times today, "I'm afraid that I have to see what's behind your bandages to prove what we witnessed wrong. But since we don't have sufficient proof to proceed against you for now, while I still have to teach you a lesson _publicly_ , you're banned from attending the Council meeting for three upcoming months. And you won't be allowed to come face to face with the Feudal Lord without being accompanied by any ANBU members I directly appoint."

"As for you, Kiyoshi," In anticipation of his eyes accidentally meeting with Lord Third's, Kiyoshi lowered his gaze shamefully. "I appreciate your courage, but I will still have to punish you by also prohibiting you from being present at the Council meeting for a month. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Sandaime-sama," answered the ANBU commander prior to Hiruzen exiting the room without a word.

At the time they heard a slam from the door behind them, notifying Hiruzen had left the two alone in the room, Danzō warned in a low voice, "I thought we had reached an agreement not to stab each other's in the back."

"I don't remember ever to be in agreement with someone like you."

"Do you think I haven't been informed?"

"Of _what_?"

"You hanging out with Uchiha Fugaku lately," he smirked. "Even getting drunk together."

"That's none of your business."

"Do you plan on digging out some undisclosed information while he is intoxicated?" Danzō chuckled maniacally, "What if I told you to be careful? You might turn it into an exchange of secrets if you're thoughtless enough to forget that you have a status here."

Kiyoshi glared confidently, "I have my own way to protect the village and so do you. How about we respect each other's ways and focus on them rather than bring each other's down?"

"But our ways are poles apart," reminded the Foundation commander. "There's no _way_ Hiruzen would select both of our ways to achieve the same vision we have in mind or worse, combine our incompatible ways. Say, do you regard this as a competition?"

"But there's no such a competition in achieving peace, Danzō."

* * *

The night had fallen, indicating that Erika's shift had come to an end for today. She was engaged in getting her things together in the locker room when suddenly Mayumi burst into the room, her face turning white.

"Thank God you're still here! A patient has just arrived in the emergency room. A boy, 7 years old, showed symptoms of appendicitis that requires surgical procedure immediately," informed the nurse. "His father said he wanted to talk with the responsible surgeon first. So, go and back Saburo-sensei up while I get the operation room ready!"

Appendicitis was a common disease that most of Erika's younger patients had been diagnosed with, yet it didn't mean she could take it lightly at all. Without delay, she did as Mayumi said and rushed to the emergency room where the parents of the poor boy were anticipating her being there.

Just when she was approaching the emergency room, she overheard the young patient comforted his mother while he was lying down on a stretcher. His mother held his hand tightly and then gave it a reassuring squeeze, "Okaa-san, why are you crying? I-it's no big deal, really. My stomach doesn't hurt anymore! When are we coming home?"

"You're a strong child, Sasuke… Hang in there a bit longer, okay?"

 _Uchiha… Sasuke?_ Her recently arrived patient was Itachi's younger brother?!

"That doctor pushed my stomach down too hard… t-that's why I screamed so loud. Did I scare you, Okaa-san?"

Another screeching noise came from the other room. The source sounded awfully familiar to boot. "You said it's nothing serious, but why does my son have to undergo surgery?"

Yup, that was unmistakably Fugaku's voice. Erika heard it loud and clear. Notwithstanding the fact that she had seen the surprising side of him that he wouldn't display, for the most part, making her more certain than she already was.

Since Mikoto appeared like she had accepted the fact that her son required to be put under the knife more easily than her husband, Erika decided to stop by the other room first where Saburo, the young emergency physician was trying his best to patiently give an explanation of Sasuke's current condition to the police captain.

"Let me speak with the surgeon now!" Exclaimed Fugaku at the top of his lung.

Erika pulled the curtain aside in time, "May I help you?"

His pupils dilated indescribably, whether they bespoke as if he was simply taken aback to have to encounter his old friend's daughter in the wrong place at the wrong time, not to mention she was also the victim of the latest case he had yet to solve, or the look he was giving denoted that there was still a glimmer of hope for a successful operation. Erika wouldn't dare to screw this surgery up, would she? Seeing that he didn't believe in her hypothesis with respect to Shisu's death at first, telling her to take a step back from the case even. If his memory even served him correctly, she was a patient when they first met. But now, the tables had turned—the helpless patient, namely his client became the surgeon who was in charge of Sasuke's surgical procedure this time. He surely had underestimated her _too_ much.

"Do you mind keeping your voice down, Uchiha-san? I assume Saburo-sensei's motive escorting you to the other room is mainly for holding the discussion in private." Reminded Erika.

Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point. "What is the probability that the surgery will be successful?"

"85 percent," the young surgeon told. "Although appendix operation comes out well most of the time, I won't leave out God's will in it."

Fugaku didn't utter a word.

"We can say that Sasuke's life depends on this operation, Fugaku-san," said Saburo. "And we won't operate on him unless you give us your permission."

"Fine!"

The two doctors nodded in agreement together before taking the patient to the operating theatre as fast as their legs could carry them. Ahead of entering the operating suite, Saburo called Erika and made a complaint, "You know what? It took me like half an hour to explain Sasuke-kun's condition to Fugaku-san, yet it took you only five minutes at max. How so?"

If she were to be completely honest with herself, she didn't expect Fugaku to magically pin his hopes on her. Sometimes, she was grateful that neither the patients nor their families could opt for which medical practitioner they wished to be treated by. Fairly enough, it didn't seem like the doctors could select their patients on second thoughts. As long as they weren't instructed to go against their moral sense, they'd go along with the procedures.

"Well, Mayumi-san only told me that all I had to do was show my face and of course, I did what she said."

* * *

Author's note: ok, i know i should've updated this story sooner but something came up (don't you think i sound like itachi here?) before any of you has the chance to protest, lemme clarify one thing - no, they're not breaking up (yet) just taking a break from their toxic relationship for a while(?) lol and i've also subtly hinted at the reason of kiyoshi suddenly making up for the lost time with fugaku. care to take a guess? it's not something bad, actually~ and i'm sorry for being uncreative! erika first met kakashi at the hospital and now i brought sasuke and erika (tho it's not the first time they met) together in that place again! can i blame her for being a workaholic? lastly, don't forget to leave me some feedback, people~ thanks for reading!


	17. The Importance of Family

**Chapter Seventeen** : The Importance of Family

Much to Erika's relief, Sasuke's surgery went well. However, the poor boy still had to be hospitalized for approximately a week until he fully restored to health. In order to make sure that Sasuke wouldn't have the courage to go training in his current condition, therefore, Mikoto had to stay with her son days and night. Sometimes, Fugaku also paid a brief visit either before he headed for work or after he returned from work. Erika could never forget the expression the little Uchiha made when the door slid open. The same look she would be giving when the long-awaited meal she ordered was finally served on the table if she could compare it with her daily routine.

Be that as it may, it seemed that the guest whose arrival he'd been anticipating still hadn't shown himself up. Sasuke's expression changed drastically from being full of hopes to being disappointed in next to no time. The person he was waiting for must be Itachi, seeing that she overheard him asking Mikoto whether his brother would make it today or not. Weakly, the mother of two raised her shoulders, which indicated her feeling of guilt after telling an untruth to Sasuke about Itachi never dropping in before. As a matter of fact, he always made time to stop by the hospital at least every two days, but he usually arrived late at night when his little brother had already fallen asleep. At this rate, Erika wasn't certain whether she should feel bad for Sasuke or feel deep down relieved for not having to bump into him one of these days.

Today weather surprisingly resembled the kiss of summer without the fiery heat of noontime in August. A perfect day to stroll around the peaceful Leaf Village and breathe in the fresh scent of the blooming flowers. Strangely enough, Erika only met a couple of patients since this morning, allowing her to have lunch on time when she normally ate her cold lunchbox in the afternoon. The hospital wasn't as hectic as usual, on the face of it.

Just when she was almost too engaged in the girls talk with the nurses in the locker room, suddenly, she got notified that Mikoto had actually been looking for her. Panic-stricken, she wasted no time in making her way to Sasuke's room. Negative thoughts took over her mind along the way, making up a what-if scenario that she wouldn't wish on her worse enemy even. Before long, she held the door handle tight, but luckily, before she saw her way to make a dramatic entrance (and humiliate herself), she caught sight of a crowd of academy students (much to her surprise, girls dominated the group of students) surrounding Sasuke's bed through the door sash.

Unlike the dramatic entrance she had in mind, she ended up sneaking in so that Sasuke's classmates wouldn't notice her presence at all and scanning the room to find Mikoto. The mother of two waved at the recently arrived doctor before getting up from her seat to greet her.

"Is there something wrong, Mikoto-san?" Asked Erika worriedly.

"No, of course, there isn't!" The older woman bit her lower lip, shilly-shallying, "Um, I know I've been doing nothing but troubling you with Sasuke's mischief. But, is it possible to ask for your help again, Erika-chan? And of course, you don't need to feel bad to say no to my request if you're busy at the moment."

"Oh, no! Sasuke is a good kid and you're not troubling me at all," Erika gave a convincing smile. "You know I cannot say no to your request, Mikoto-san. I'll be gladder if I can help."

"To tell you the truth, I have to run an errand for a while. But, as you can see, Sasuke is having his friends over. I know they're all good-natured children and I'm actually thankful for them to look after Sasuke. Still, can you make sure that Sasuke won't cause any trouble until I come back?"

 _Um, sorry to say this, Mikoto-san, but you're already causing me trouble by asking me to watch over Sasuke._ She began to wonder as to why the adults found pleasure in entrusting their children with her when she showed obvious signs of being careless and somewhat indifferent, to begin with. The first child she babysat got kidnapped on her third birthday, the second child who happened to be the little sister of the first victim almost got herself drowned in freezing water, and based on her experience with children only, she predicted that something _bad_ would eventually occur to Sasuke as well.

Erika pursued a different path by becoming a doctor; somehow, she still received an order to look after another child that was Itachi's younger brother, to make matters worse. It almost appeared like she was destined to be a babysitter instead of a doctor. Come what may, she tried to see the bigger picture and acknowledged Sasuke, not as Itachi's brother but her _patient_. Certainly, it was her responsibility to look after him after all.

After Sasuke's classmates had gone home one by one, Erika entered the room again until he was left alone with a pink-haired girl. The girl looked just adorable, despite having a relatively wide forehead. They glanced at the older girl for a split second, looking away immediately after and paused awkwardly.

"Go on, just pretend I'm nobody," Erika told them before walking to the couch in the corner of the room and seating herself comfortably there.

The pink-haired girl threw Sasuke a confused look before handing him a few of her notebooks, "Here are the notes I've taken during class, and here is the homework for tomorrow." She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turning red, "Don't tell anyone that I've done my homework! You're lucky that I showed you mine—"

"I don't need them."

"W-what?"

"I never asked you to show me in the first place," Sasuke faced the window before frowning at her, "What are you still doing here?"

Hurriedly, she collected her books, her hands shaking in fear. "I – I'll be going now," said her as she exited the room, covering her teary face.

"You should at least thank her," commented Erika shortly afterward.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Yelled the little Uchiha.

The young doctor sighed deeply, "And you should've thanked me, too for saving your life, not yelling at me like that."

"Whatever," Sasuke threw his gaze around, "Where did Okaa-san go?"

Erika got up to her feet and came close to Sasuke's bed, "Abandoning you. She said she didn't want a _rude_ son."

"Ha. Very funny," he scoffed. "Just leave me alone. I don't want a nosy doctor either."

"Unfortunately, one of the criteria to become a _true_ doctor is to be nosy all the time, especially when it's concerning a patient's health," she examined the table next to the bed and picked up Sasuke's antibiotics, "Have you drunk your medicine this afternoon, Sasuke?"

Without warning, he snatched the prescription bottle from Erika's hand, "I'm about to!"

"Thank God you turned out to be an obedient kid!"

"I'll just have to finish these off to get better, right? I'll gulp them down at once—"

Erika managed to stop him in time by grabbing his hand, "Don't! Or else, you'll die."

"… How come?" Sasuke put down the bottle of medicines on his lap, "You said these things cure you, but then, they also kill you. Which one is right then?"

"Basically," she pulled a chair next to the bed and took a seat, "Everything will destroy you if you use or consume it excessively."

His brows puckered in a frown, nodding slightly in the end, "That kind of makes sense."

She smirked to herself, _of course, it does._ From where she stood, the little Uchiha gave the impression of being inexperienced to some extent. Be that as it may, she couldn't blame him since most Shinobi had physically strong bodies (in Sasuke's case, though he was merely a Shinobi in the making, he came from _that_ Uchiha Clan, still and all), thanks to the harsh training they'd been gone through. Even if they fell sick once in a while, they leaned toward traditional, medical herbs more than the prescription drugs.

"Are you making fun of me?" He glared at her in defense.

"Wow. I thought you would finally be nice to me if I saved your life for the second time," the young doctor protested. "Care to explain why can't you be friendly to anyone except your family?"

"It's because I don't need anyone besides my family," he stressed. "I don't need a friend. Ever since Nii-san became friends with you, he's become a totally different person! He spends less time with his family, he no longer has dinner together with us—he grows distant. I miss him… I miss the old Nii-san…"

 _Same, Sasuke, same. I miss the old Itachi, too…_ It turned out that Sasuke shared the same thoughts with her. Having said that, she wasn't responsible for Itachi's drastic change lately. How could she convince him that she was also the victim of this incident when he had considered her guilty in the first place? She was aware of Itachi gradually keeping his distance from everyone, but she failed to remember when he started to push back everyone who tried to reach out to him. At first, she clearly understood that his duty as an ANBU would frequently keep him away from the village, but then, why did she have a funny feeling that he had been struggling to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders alone?

"It's… sad to hear that, honestly. Even if I want to help you so bad, I really can't since we don't keep in touch with each other anymore. I'm sorry, Sasuke," apologetically, Erika lowered her gaze. "I thought he only gave the cold shoulder to me, turns out that he's been giving it to everyone."

"Are you guys having a fight?"

"What? No, of course, not!" denied her, "We rarely get together. We don't have time for that."

"Come to think of it, it must be hard to be mad at Nii-san since he's that good." Sasuke muttered, "No wonder Otou-san is so proud of him…"

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing."

Having her doubts, Erika narrowed her eyes, "You're lying. I heard you mentioned your Otou-san or something along those lines."

Sasuke sighed in defeat; "Otou-san and Nii-san are not on good terms right now."

"I believe that's not what you said earlier."

"But I'm not making it up!" He argued, "It's up to you if you don't want to believe it."

How strange. As far as she could remember, Itachi was willing to pick his drunken father up early in the morning and compensate what Fugaku couldn't pay off on his own even. For all that, it failed to drop a hint of what actually happened in the household. Although Sasuke had shown obvious signs of asking for help (or maybe a piece of advice) instead of revealing it for free (a part of her didn't wish anyone, especially the little Uchiha to find out about her backstreet relationship with Itachi yet), thanks to Sasuke's generosity again, she felt like she could finally understand Itachi better here and now.

"It's so unlike Itachi…" expressed Erika, "He helped me improve my relationship with my father before, but then, he turned out to be the one in conflict with his own father."

"I don't think no one's at fault this time since Otou-san has always been stern, to begin with. Perhaps his missions have tired him out, that's why he's been acting cold toward everyone lately. Well, except for me," Sasuke recalled as he touched his forehead. "Sure, he still keeps his distance, but when we come face to face, he's surprisingly being his old self—he will tap my forehead lightly if he refuses to train me."

Erika rolled her eyes. _Of course, kiddo. Of all people, he likes you_ that _much._ Yet, she came out with, "Still, it doesn't change the fact that he stays away from everyone, including you. My guess is he's hiding something."

She could've been clued in on the truth if Danzo hadn't shown his evil face all of a sudden and stolen Itachi away from her. She was only a step away from rescuing Itachi, but then, without warning, the table had turned.

"You sure?" Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment, "Should I learn it directly from him or figure it out by myself?"

"He's an ANBU, Sasuke. It's understandable if he doesn't want to talk about it." Erika added, "The least you can do is to keep him company if he asks. Don't force him to open up. Don't get involved, no matter what—it's for your own sake. Just stand by his side in the hopes that he'll realize that someone still cares very much about him."

" _If he asks,"_ He repeated. "But he will _never_ , I'm pretty sure about it. What if he keeps pushing me back? Will I able to sit back and watch him turn into a totally different person I can no longer recognize?"

Much to Erika's surprise, the little Uchiha got a point. Who would've thought an 8 years old boy could point out the mistake she continuously made? Until kingdom comes even, Itachi wouldn't ask. He wouldn't dare. Because of her pessimism and self-worth, she allowed him undergoing a sea change. She was to blame.

* * *

It was raining as yet as the 3-man cell Itachi led headed back to Konoha and the sunset was now long gone, leaving the starless sky behind. Just when their team set foot in the entrance hall of the Foundation HQ, another Foundation member whose face the captain still couldn't recognize notified him that the commander had been waiting for his arrival in his office. Without delay, he proceeded to Danzō's office to report the mission his team had accomplished without difficulty.

"You've done a great job," declared him. "But, I intend to give you another mission. This mission will be special since you will be carrying it out solo."

"What is it, Danzō-sama?"

"Assassinate Hyūga Kiyoshi, your former commander,"

His onyx eyes dilated in surprise, "Did he commit a crime?"

"Not particularly." Danzō added, "You're certainly aware that the Uchiha Clan has been in dispute with the village, aren't you? We're not sure which party made an approach first, but Kiyoshi managed to stay in contact with Uchiha Fugaku, your father until this time. I'm afraid he will inform against the village and make matters worse by joining forces with the Uchiha. Therefore, I will prevent the worst-case scenario from happening in any conditions."

At the time that Danzō's odd method of protecting the village started revealing, Itachi couldn't help but protest, "But what if he has no original intention to betray the village?"

"Even though our assumptions might be false, he still disobeyed the code of ethics by making a move without letting the Councils know in advance. He should've known his place better."

This solo mission had specifically driven him to the edge where he was torn between accomplishing his mission or following his conscience, though the two courses of action were conflicting and had each consequence he had to face later on if he omitted either of them. Then again, when he assumed his recent promotion would get him away quietly from the weekly clan meeting, little did he know that his clan had almost completed their conspiracy to make a reality of the coup by now. They might be waiting for a perfect day to pull it off one of these days.

Suddenly, an idea he had dismissed before about another alternative to calling off the coup got into his mind. Since he would become heir to the clan in the long run, regardless of the clansmen's acceptance, perhaps he could accelerate the coronation; therefore, he would be able to nullify the coup d'état in every respect. For all that, a clan leader could only be replaced on condition that he had passed away—in other words, Itachi had to murder his father _first_ before he could be named as the head of Uchiha Clan.

These past few days, Itachi had been tailing his former commander in the dark. In the daytime, Kiyoshi usually locked himself up in his office to deal with some paperwork and await the progress report from each ANBU captain he assigned. But when the night fell, he would go out for a drink with his old friend, Fugaku to the local bar.

Although Itachi had accomplished quite a few pursuit missions in the past, he still had to bear in mind that his target was the ANBU commander—it went without saying that he couldn't let his guard down in the slightest. The target could've pointed the kunai at the back of his neck if he hadn't limited his movement cautiously. Moreover, Kiyoshi had the Byakugan, which doubled his sensitivity to his surroundings and the difficulty of this mission at once.

Itachi wouldn't be in the right mind if he intended to execute this mission and fulfill Danzō's personal grudge against Kiyoshi. In fact, he dared to walk past his former commander where he was ensconcing himself on the bar stool alone and inhaled the strong smell of alcohol before sipping it. Wearing nothing but a hooded, black cloak as a disguise, Itachi confidently sat a couple seats away from Kiyoshi and was biding his time for the ANBU commander to empty his glass and react to his arrival.

"Are you trying to get yourself caught by dressing up like that?" Kiyoshi began, "No wonder my daughter caught you several times."

His past subordinate didn't utter a word, nor turn to him. "What do you want, Itachi? Why are you no longer concealing yourself?"

"I've been given an order to _kill_ you, Kiyoshi-san," revealed Itachi.

"It figures," sneered the ANBU commander. "Does this person who gave you the order hold a childish grudge against me for catching him manipulating the Daimyō and deceiving the other Councils?"

Having said that, his former subordinate stayed quiet.

"I take that as a 'yes' then," assumed Kiyoshi. "For all that, I believe you're not supposed to freely show your face and make an announcement of me having my foot in the grave, are you? Whose sides are you taking in actual fact, Itachi?"

"To be able to hazard an accurate guess. As expected from you, Kiyoshi-san," answered Itachi. "It doesn't matter which sides I am taking here and now. Let's just say I'm _neutral._ Still, are you not curious about my target at the moment?"

"Certainly, I couldn't be your target since you're disclosing information to me," pointed out Kiyoshi confidently. "Nevertheless, you could be using me to lure the real target in at best."

He didn't bat an eyelash, signifying the ANBU commander to state further, "But you do know that I'm meeting Fugaku, correct?"

"That's correct," Itachi smirked, "I'm intending for Uchiha Fugaku, your precious friend."

"And your _father_ as well. Don't forget that," reminded Kiyoshi. "But why?"

"For the good of Konoha, I will take the clan over to prove them wrong about violence being the quickest route for acknowledgment of power. Instead of showing dominance, I will show them the other way round to bring back the villagers' acknowledgment at all costs."

"But the title won't be passed down to you unless the preceding clan leader is gone…"

"Exactly," the Uchiha ANBU said in response. "I will do everything in order to achieve my ambition. Even if I have to end the life of my own father…"

Kiyoshi held the empty glass too tight to the point of almost breaking it into pieces. After getting his head together by pinching the bridge of his nose, he spoke out, "I understand why you decided to come face to face with me, seeing that we're in reality, working for the same goal, preventing any bloodshed that is," Itachi also noticed that his nostrils flared up as if he was suppressing his anger, "But no matter how ruthless he can be, he is _still_ your father, Itachi. Where is the kind-hearted Itachi who hesitated to burn Sakuya's dead body to ashes because he had met her personally? Since when have they taken the mortality away from you?"

"Aren't you the one teaching me to keep work and personal life separate, Kiyoshi-san?" Itachi added, "Besides, we are running out of time. If I don't take action any minute now, either the clan will actualize the coup and let the other villages take advantage to start another war or the elders will force me to follow in Sakuya-san's footsteps by massacring my own flesh and blood, which prospects are worse in your opinion?"

"There's another alternative that I'm trying to work it out," told the ANBU commander. "I know it may sound too simple and somewhat underestimating, but I will talk to him about it. I will persuade him to suppress the coup d'état and I will make him change his mind in the end. We were on the same team when we were Genin and we've gone through so many ups and downs, therefore, despite his stubborn nature, I'm still confident that he will listen to me."

"I really appreciate your desire to help, but as you mentioned, it is not simple as that. You have only seen the tip of the iceberg, Kiyoshi-san. You have no clue about the Uchiha and their superiority complex. I'm turning down your kind offer not because I'm underestimating you—in fact, I do not wish you to get too involved before you're unable to escape. Hence, with all due respect, I'm asking you to back away, Kiyoshi-san."

"I will not. Like you said, I'm already involved, that being the case, I will still finish what I started," Kiyoshi persisted. In a blink of an eye, he activated his Byakugan to catch a glimpse of Fugaku's presence near the bar, "He's nearby. Do you not want to hide away?"

"If you insist," before Kiyoshi knew it, Itachi disappeared from his side, yet, like a flash, he sneaked up on him and whispered in his ear, "Since you're involving yourself in, I'm letting you know, as soon as my father arrives, the bartender will serve you two drink. I already mixed the first glass with a strong, odorless poison that will stop the cells of the body from being able to take up and use oxygen in an instant. You are left with no option but to play along, Kiyoshi-san. It's your loss to reject the way out I gave you for free and now, there's no turning back, as soon as the poison has an effect on him, you'll be accused of murdering him."

"You son of a—"

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Just when the police captain caught sight of his friend's nervous facial expression, he looked around suspiciously, "Whom were you talking with?"

"Just a random guy," answered Kiyoshi, shrugging. "Hey, wanna try the new bar? It's only 2 blocks away from here."

"Nah," Fugaku took a seat next to Kiyoshi's chair, "I passed it by before getting here and the line's crazy. I'm not going to waste my precious time for that."

"Wanna grab something to eat then? We can order Sake after that."

"It's been a rough day for me, Kiyoshi," complained the police captain, raising his voice. "If you're starving to death, just get out of this place alone. I'm not coming along before I get myself drunk tonight."

Taking no offense, the Hyūga replied, "Let me take a guess, your clansmen urged you to execute the coup immediately?"

"Shut up," warned the Uchiha, "I'm trying to forget it. Don't make me recall what has happened today…"

By the time the bartender placed two servings of drink that his regular customers usually ordered on the table. Out of the corner of Kiyoshi's eye, he didn't spot a few drops of sweat on the side of the bartender's face, pointing to his nervousness in preparation for murdering a man. As he expected, the bartender seemed not to be aware that someone had actually put poison in one of the drink he'd serve. Evidently, Itachi wished to minimize third party's involvement in this matter except for making a scapegoat of Kiyoshi.

Ahead of Fugaku reaching for the nearest glass, the Hyūga ANBU managed to bump against one of the glasses and drop the two glasses at once. "Oops," reacted him before he took the initiative to pick the shattered pieces up. "My bad."

"It's fine, Kiyoshi-san," the bartender brushed Kiyoshi's hand off, "Let me take care of it. Ah, I'll give you two another drink."

"How careless of you," commented the police captain after the bartender went away, "Thanks to you, he's definitely going to charge us for it."

"Us?" Kiyoshi furrowed his eyebrows, "Remember? It's Thursday night! It's all on _you,_ of course."

"Shoot—I really forgot!" Fugaku slapped his forehead spontaneously before glaring at his old friend, "I'm not going to pay for the damage you caused!"

"Just so you know, I didn't bring my wallet along, so, of course, you're going to pay for the damage as well."

Serving as an ANBU member had honed his instinct to a certain degree. Following the Senju tragedy his late wife brought about, Kiyoshi had expected that Sakuya would meet her end sooner or later. It made him regret not doing anything to put off her death when he himself was in the know about its coming. He wasn't completely sure about it, but the particular hunch he was having right now reminded him of the hunch he had on the eve of Sakuya's death. The regret felt terrifically _real_ to the point that he had mistaken it for a déjà vu.

Without knowing, he had gotten used to Fugaku's company these past nights. He couldn't imagine if he would have to lock himself up in the office every night and drink until the alcohol took his heavy burden temporarily away from his consciousness. Yet, when the sun rose the next morning, he would still be mindful of the fact that he had lost a precious friend, thanks to his cowardly self.

Suddenly, Kiyoshi recalled the time when he expressed gratitude to the police captain for responding to the case Erika was involved in. As it appeared that Fugaku had finished interrogating his daughter, Kiyoshi approached him without delay.

" _Thanks for taking charge of my daughter's case. Any clues about the culprit?"_

 _Fugaku turned to him, "To tell you the truth, we have caught the true culprit. She turned out to be Sakuya's relatives. But I'm still not sure whether the motive is to seek revenge or not. That's the only thing I can inform you for now. I'll let you know if we have discovered another evidence."_

" _Ah, I see… Poor Erika… She doesn't deserve all of this," Kiyoshi heaved a sigh. "I think I'll need to get myself a drink. Want to come along?"_

" _That's not how a father should react when I just announced someone might be targeting his only daughter—"_

" _It's all on me. Think of this as my thanks for solving my daughter's case."_

" _Count me in."_

 _Unconsciously, they discreetly agreed to take turns at paying the drink every night. Since the two former teammates had gone their separate ways and gotten their own families, they no longer had time to merely catch up with one another. For that reason, they took baby steps to open up and build their trust again._

" _If Sensei were still alive, do you think he would be proud of who we are now?" Inquired Kiyoshi out of the blue._

" _Looking back on the trouble we caused, he should be," Fugaku flashed a dejected smile._

" _How dare you leave Itsuki out?" Kiyoshi brought up their other teammate's name, "You know, though his silly pranks always brought us into trouble, you'll have to admit that it's kind of lonely not having him around."_

" _Of course, I'm not leaving Itsuki out," explained Fugaku, "How ironic it is that we never made time for a casual reunion when he kept asking us for it, but now that he's gone, I get to see your sick face almost every night."_

 _Kiyoshi took hold of the Sake bottle and poured it into each of their empty glasses. Until he had emptied the bottle, he put it down carelessly and raised his glass for a toss, "To Sensei and Itsuki."_

" _To Team 9," corrected Fugaku as he followed suit._

 _They lost their Sensei and Itsuki at the Third War where the war itself mainly involved Konoha and Iwa. To sum up the devastating incident that took their Sensei and Itsuki's lives at once, both Kiyoshi and Itsuki who individually happened to acquire secret information relating to Iwa and bear witness to Konoha's sharp practice were taken hostages and by all means, the rest of Team 9 came to a risky decision to rescue them. Despite their strong determination to come to the aid of their teammates, things didn't go smoothly as they planned—the enemies outnumbered them, leaving the Sensei with no option but to act as bait and entrust his other students with Fugaku._

 _Fugaku wasted no time in saving his teammates' lives, he managed to locate their whereabouts and confront the kidnapper. The kidnapper made several conditions, namely, Itsuki who bore witness to the village's chicanery had to kill Kiyoshi who had been spying on Iwa and he was also obliged to uncover what he had learned in front of the Iwa Councils._

 _Itsuki gripped his kunai tightly, his fingertips losing their color. Noticing Itsuki's faltering, Kiyoshi shouted, "Why are you hesitating, Itsuki? I'll be fine. I'd rather die than let the information fall into the wrong hands!"_

 _He faced the enemy fearlessly, "One of us can live, right?"_

 _The enemy laughed in a mocking way, "Of course!"_

" _Itsuki—no! Don't you dare, Itsuki—"_

 _Itsuki's gaze moved back and forth from Kiyoshi then to Fugaku, "You guys know how much I hate losing, right? I don't wish to see these guys win against Konoha as—well."_

 _It was too late. The kunai had already pierced through his stomach, blood gushing out of the wound nonstop. Apart from the death of his friend, Kiyoshi also witnessed an alteration form of Fugaku's Sharingan. He could've sworn that he got goosebumps when he saw Fugaku's chakra surround him like a full body armor and fight the enemies mercilessly on his behalf._

" _Why didn't you stop Itsuki from killing himself? You should've let him kill me instead," Kiyoshi's eyes explored his surroundings, "Where is Sensei?"_

" _They sacrificed their lives to save you and you even have the nerve to blame me now, seriously?" Fugaku spoke at the top of his lungs. "You're coming with me. We have to find the captain and inform him about the enemy's tactics—"_

" _Do you expect me to put on a brave face after knowing the truth that I have failed to protect both of my friend and my teacher?" He gazed into his friend's onyx eyes meaningfully, "If you're truly my friend, Fugaku, kill me. Please kill me. I don't have the courage to return to Konoha, nor have the heart to explain to Itsuki's wife."_

" _Itsuki and Sensei didn't sacrifice their lives for this, Kiyoshi!" Fugaku squeezed Kiyoshi's shoulders tightly, "Don't act like you're losing your purpose in life just because you saw them die!"_

" _What am I living for if it's not for the village? We're losing more and more outstanding warriors, Fugaku. We will never be able to defeat Iwa at this rate…"_

" _You still have Sakuya, remember? And she's pregnant with your unborn daughter, to boot," reminded Fugaku, "We wage war to attain peace, not to show dominance. After all, home is where the people we love belong in, not where the region is located."_

 _Fugaku taught him two important things that he'd been doing wrong, namely, not to blow his cool when a difficult situation took place, last but not least, to think of his family and make them a priority even if they were away from each other. He wasn't certain, too whether he possessed the Will of Fire from the start, or it decreased little by little with each passing day. All of a sudden, he began to question why the Councils appointed him to the ANBU commander when he, in fact, was greatly lacking in the Will of Fire. On the contrary to Sakuya who would move heaven and earth for the sake of the village, he would only bother to lift a finger if his relatives and friends were in harm's way. Perhaps Sakuya would make a better ANBU commander than him if she were still living._

After a while, the bartender came with two new servings of drink in his hands. By that time as well, Kiyoshi had made up his mind. Fugaku might not be the most affectionate father on the surface of the planet; he also constantly had a hard time showing his love to Mikoto even, let alone his sons. As a friend who knew the ins and outs of him the longest, Kiyoshi might have to step in and hand down the family values and the importance of family if Fugaku failed to teach his children about them.

Kiyoshi gazed at the clock hanging on the wall, it was 10 in the evening and he felt bad for Erika about going home late these past days. "I think I've stayed out late too much. My daughter might be worried," a genuine smile plastered on his face, "I think this will be the last night I accompany you drinking, Fugaku. I know life has been hard and I hope it will get better for the two of us. You're always welcome if you need someone to rant at, I'll… make sure to rant back at you if you're ranting not at the right time."

 _This was the least I could do for you, my friend…_

He brought the glass to his mouth and gulped down the drink in one go. Just when his friend rose to his feet abruptly, the police captain carefully observed his friend pulling out his wallet and putting down an amount of money on the table loudly. "I paid off all of my debts. Happy now—"

 _In fact, I owe you my life._

He sweated profusely, tears beginning to pour out of his eyes. At this moment in time, he could barely perceive the sound of Fugaku calling his name time and time again. His brain hungered for oxygen, causing his consciousness to fade gradually.

"What's going on with you? Hey!"

On his way to the nearby hospital, Hyūga Kiyoshi breathed his last.

* * *

Author's note: happy valentine's and chinese new year guys! i'm honestly still not sure what will happen to erika and itachi's relationship after this. sasuke has made her realize that it's wrong to hope for itachi to open up first, because it's itachi we're talking about - whether she'll persist in being her pessimistic self (i'm glad Ryo noticed that she's actually a pessimist! meaning i've been portraying her right hoho) or she'll make an effort to go after him and be welcomed back with open arms, which i personally think will be hard for itachi since dude, he indirectly killed her father! this couple feels guilty all the time, seriously... and i hope i didn't bore you with an appearance of a new OC. some of you might think kiyoshi and fugaku's past resembles kakashi and obito's. unfortunately, itsuki has passed away for good. i can't believe i just killed 2 characters in one chapter! it's not like i enjoy it tho - i killed them for the sake of character development - itsuki's death for kiyoshi, and kiyoshi's for erika. since i decided to follow the canon route, sadly the massacre is nearing :( but what will happen to erika? stay tuned~


	18. A Happy Mess

**Chapter Eighteen** : A Happy Mess

The stars in the night sky were nonexistent and the puffs of gray blanketed the full moon. Continual knocks on the window woke her up from a deep slumber. Erika let out a groan before answering with her eyelids half closed. Reluctantly, she pulled the curtain aside, not expecting Itachi to kneel on her balcony at all, putting on an apologetic look on his handsome face. At the moment she unhurriedly slid the window open, she folded her arms and swallowed her saliva to fight back her nervousness, "What do you want?"

Without being asked, he stood up, pulling out a suspicious envelope and handing it to her, "Here, from the commander."

Erika froze, staring in horror. _No—it can't be._ Her mind recalled her father always making his subordinates used to writing a letter to their loved ones prior to executing a mission in case they didn't make it home. And now that Itachi, her father's past subordinate passed the unexpected letter to her, she still couldn't accept the truth. Scratch _that_. She decided not to believe in reality.

She shook her head weakly. The only sound she could hear was her unstable heart rate, deafening her to a certain degree. "D-don't joke around like that! It's not even funny, Uchiha!"

When she expected him to burst out laughing after seeing her reaction to his inappropriately named joke, Itachi didn't utter a single word, his gaze softening as it drowned in the reflection of her teary eyes. As if his silence confirmed the sudden death of her father, she broke into tears that very minute, her quivering knees kissing the cold ground. Noticing Erika losing her balance, Itachi sat on his heels to hold her comfortingly. His hand moved back and forth from her back to her spine, letting her bury her head in his chest and dampen his shirt. "I'm sorry, Erika… I truly am…" whispered him.

She hauled her chin up and faced him, "Where is he now? Can I—can I see him?"

Itachi let go of her and nodded slightly, "Follow me."

* * *

 _Name: Hyūga Kiyoshi. Cause of Death: Cyanide Poisoning._

Intently, Erika listened to the side of the story the bartender had to fill her in, her eyes gazing down when it had reached the climax of the incident, which had taken Kiyoshi's life. Her hand was still holding on to the letter she couldn't bring herself to look through, her free hand clenching in hopes of controlling her emotions. Occasionally, Itachi would glance at her worriedly; his hand slipped into the gaps between her fingers and intertwined his fingers with hers, letting her know that he wouldn't leave her side this time, come what may.

On the next day, she got to visit the crime scene where the murder took place. Apparently, they hadn't caught the true culprit as yet, for that reason; they ended up temporarily detaining Uchiha Fugaku for further interrogation. Based on the narrative Fugaku provided them with, Kiyoshi admitted to talking to a _random_ , suspicious man while waiting for his arrival. However, the bartender said otherwise—he didn't remember another customer visiting the bar at the same time as they did, let alone Kiyoshi exchanging words with the suspected man.

At the end of a long, tiring day, Erika finally managed to muster up enough courage to inspect Kiyoshi's body. He seemed to be… asleep, lying on his back _peacefully_ , for good at last. That was the only thing mattered here and now. He was at peace, after a long time. She let her body fall to her knees by the side of her deceased father, her hand caressing the pale, cold cheek of her father, rubbing against the pointed beard she always found tickling when she was little. Ahead of her crossing the threshold of the chapel, Itachi had offered to wait outside so that Erika could have her moments alone with her father. Hence, she put on a brave face, flashing a smile at Kiyoshi's white as a sheet face, "Otou-san… have you met Okaa-san there, in Heaven?"

For a split second, she paused, heaving a deep, shaky sigh. "Why did you have to leave me when we were finally on good terms…? It's past my curfew already, Otou-san; please don't get mad at me for staying out late. I-it's… so unfair, if you ask me. Why did you enforce me curfew when it never applied to you, to begin with? I waited for you last night, you know, but you didn't come home. You never will again…"

As her eyes blinked, tears streamed down her cheeks out of control. She choked, "I realized that… I let you down more often than I ever made you proud, Otou-san. All I ever said to you were some hurtful words that I'll never get the chance to make up for again. I haven't even thanked you properly for the good things you have done to me, for raising me to become who I currently am. I know it's far too late, but… thanks for everything, Otou-san. For staying strong after all this time when I thought you didn't care for Okaa-san and me anymore. I was wrong—I know. And for inspiring me not to live an ordinary life despite being a branch house member and all. You'd never know how much I was tempted to brag about my father being the ANBU commander in front of my friends, but I knew you wouldn't be fond of it. I – I'm sorry to let you know just now. If only we were good at expressing ourselves, we would have no regrets, Otou-san, especially at a time like this…"

The funeral service was held the next day, attended by mostly ANBU members and elite Jōnin. The Konoha Councils, including Danzō also showed their mournful faces, much to Erika's surprise. At the beginning of the ceremony, the Third came to the front and gazed around the attendances briefly in preparation for delivering his eulogy. Although he didn't consider himself personally close to Kiyoshi, he felt fairly responsible for allowing Kiyoshi to associate with Fugaku instead of warning him to stay alert regardless. Unfortunately, regrets always come later than anticipated.

Concerning the replacement of Kiyoshi's position, Lord Third had come to a decision that he would stand in for the unoccupied role alternatively, meaning all the ANBU had to report directly to him as of now. Deep down, Erika was filled with gratitude to the solicitude the Hokage and the other attendances displayed. By a large number of the attendances alone, she could conclude that the contributions Kiyoshi ever made during his lifetime had a significant impact on these untold people, specifically on the fellow member of the branch house. Proving that fate wasn't predetermined, after all, quite a few of the branch house members had followed in his footsteps to contribute more than protect the main members of the house.

The burial service had drawn to a close; yet, Itachi couldn't spot Erika among the crowd of people. Earlier in the morning, the wide blue yonder that stretched forth from the horizon had been sprawled out by the transitory wisps of white. But now, it threaded through the sky in thicker bands, notifying that it would be raining in a little while. One after another, the attendances dispersed, supposedly enabling Itachi to locate Erika without difficulty. For all that, he bumped into Danzō instead, the man whose wish had been granted incidentally.

A proud smile welcomed Itachi, "Good job."

"For your information, I didn't have the intention to kill Hyūga Kiyoshi from the start. He laid down his life by choice," explained the Uchiha ANBU.

"It won't matter anymore. If you hadn't put ideas into his head, he wouldn't have died, would he?" the Foundation commander chuckled, expiring unpleasant bad odor from a distance. "Still, I'd like to thank you for your hard work. Are you ready for your next mission, Itachi?"

"My apologies, but I will refrain from doing any missions for now," he argued. "I've been slaving away at achieving your personal ambitions too much. It's time for me to take time off."

"Very well," much to his surprise, Danzō gave in to his demand quicker than he had imagined, causing Itachi to question the ulterior motive up to his sleeve, "Take your time. A greater journey surely _awaits_ you." _A greater journey?_ _Pfft_. More harmful missions were more likely to wait in line in Danzō's case.

The rain began to fall shortly after Itachi had disappeared from his new commander's sight without notice. At first, the drizzle fell on the streets constantly, leaving polka dot marks all over the land. Yet gradually, the rain intensified its quality, pouring down more and more drops of water like there was no tomorrow. As the rain grew heavier, Itachi sped up his pace so that he could make certain of Erika coming home early.

Before long, he turned up at the front of the Hyūga's residence only to find the door ajar. And without further ado, he broke into the house to inspect it, turning a deaf ear to his nervous, erratic heartbeat. In view of Erika seating herself alone on a chair in the dining room, he let out a sigh of relief ahead of rushing over to her.

"Are you just going to stare blankly at it without reading it?" Taken by surprise, Erika spontaneously rose to her feet, tossing the letter away by accident.

"What brings you even here? How did you get in?" Her hazel eyes looked daggers at him.

"You left the door slightly open," his thumb casually pointed backward. He bent down to pick up the letter and returned it to the rightful owner almost immediately, "You dropped this."

She seized the letter, facing away from him, "Just—go home already!"

"It's still raining outside. Let me stay at least until the rain stops,"

Having said that, Erika didn't reply to him, letting the uncomfortable silence in. The only sound they perceived was the music the heavy rain made varying from the ticking clock.

"You came back early," the Uchiha ANBU took an initiative to break the ice. Realizing the daughter in mourning wouldn't make a response any minute now, he took a seat facing her, "You should have told me, to say the least."

"Why should I?" Erika frowned, "You, too have never told me before going on a mission abroad."

"Because I was worried, clearly."

"You think you never got me worried by coming and going as you please?"

"Fine. First of all, I admit I was wrong to have never let you know in advance. Please forgive me." He added, "But it's two different things, Erika. I will not injure nor try to get myself _injured_ , whereas you seemed to be having a hard time and in need of company the most."

"You can't read me, Uchiha," corrected her, crossing her arms over her chest in defense. "Rather than a company, I need more time alone to get my head around the reality and figure out what I'm going to do with this life from now on. For that reason, I kindly ask you to leave before—"

"I won't leave you if that makes you feel slightly better," he interrupted, staring earnestly into her eyes. "I know you always mean the other way round when you're saying it in that manner. Do you still think I'm not able to read you enough?"

She eyed him suspiciously, "Even if duty calls?"

"Just so you know, I'm taking time off," assured Itachi. "Danzō-sama even said I could take my time as long as I need."

"Danzō-sama? Is he… is he the new commander?"

"Oh, I forgot that I haven't informed you," he continued, "I got promoted to ANBU captain recently and transferred to another division. If you can recall the man who showed his face the last at Shisui's funeral, he is my commander now."

"So, you were no longer under Otou-san's command," muttered her. "Congrats on the promotion, still and all."

His lips curved into a thin smile, "Thanks."

His hand reached for the forgotten matches that she entrusted him in his pocket, hesitating whether it was the right moment to hand them back. At the time he was ready to withdraw them, Erika began nervously, "W-what do you think about the letter?"

"What about it?"

"Do you think he demanded something from me like the hidden message Okaa-san carved into the matches?" she wondered, darting a glance downward. "What if I'm not capable of fulfilling his dying wish? To tell you the truth, I haven't forgotten about the matches I asked you to interpret. It got me thinking… maybe, just maybe Okaa-san was trying to give me a sign before her death and because I didn't get to reach out to her in time, she met her end. That's why I never asked you to return the matches… because they'll be of no use—do they still matter now?"

Quietly, Itachi took the box of matches out of his pocket and placed it on the table, "Here." He checked her startled expression in anticipation of stating further, "To be very honest, I finished unscrambling them as soon as you left my room and never got the chance to clue you in, it's truly my fault and I regret it. But the hidden message itself turned out to be consigned to _me_. If you're still eager to know, Sakuya-san requested me to protect you from Orochimaru in person. I was honestly torn between telling you and keeping it a secret from you. But then, if Sakuya-san wanted you to know in the first place, she would have told you herself, not aiming these matches at me."

Erika pulled the box open to examine the headless matches, breaking into a wry smile without knowing, "Are you still obliged to carry Okaa-san's order out even after her death?"

"Honestly? I voluntarily won't let anyone lay a finger on you," her soft chuckle reminded him of the sound of the wind chimes. "Even though I won't be able to keep an eye on you all the time, I'm confident that you're also capable of defending yourself."

Without realizing, the heavy downpour had subsided slowly yet surely. As Erika walked over to the window reluctantly, she could catch sight of the sun peeking from behind the clouds. "Seems like the rain's stopped," notified her, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face. "Didn't you say you would only stay until the rain's stopped?"

"I changed my mind," announced Itachi. "Before anything else, I have to make certain of you reading Kiyoshi-san's letter before taking my leave."

"Trust me, I'm about to," convinced her, holding the letter. "But why are you so determined to make me read it? Did Otou-san by any chance, also ask you to do so?"

"That's not entirely true," Itachi insisted. "Your father strongly believed that everyone without exception might have something they've been meaning to tell to their loved ones even after death has to meddle and separate them. Therefore, making it happen is the very least I can do to honor his dying wish."

Erika studied the sealed envelope closely, her hands trembling with fear.

"If you need more privacy, I don't mind stepping out for a while—"

"Stay," she stared at him meaningfully, her hazel eyes displaying sorrow. "Please…"

"As you wish," Itachi gently put his hand on top of hers as reassuring smile escaped his lips. "No need to worry. Even if he were to ask you to do him the last favor, you'll still be able to bring it to completion in any case. We'll figure out a way if it still doesn't work out."

Eventually, she shredded the envelope to spread out the letter. Kiyoshi's messy handwriting surprisingly jogged her memory of Itachi regarding hers as unladylike. Perhaps personalized fonts ran in their family, to all appearances. For all that she might have a hard time figuring out some alphabetical characters, she could tell that her father scribbled it sincerely.

 _Dear my daughter,_

 _If you're reading this, I'm sorry if I have to break the news, but I couldn't make it home. I'm sorry. I know it might be hard for you at first, but I hope you'll cope with it little by little. Looking on the brighter side, you can eat dinner while it's still warm and you don't have to stay up late just to welcome me back. Please don't fall asleep on the couch anymore since I won't be able to pick you up and move you to your room nor cover you up with a blanket from this day forward._

 _I may not be good at expressing this verbally, but I always think the world of you and it will remain unchanged forever. While you were still in your mother's womb, I sang you lullabies in the hope that you'd recognize my voice. I can still remember vividly when I held you in my arms for the first time and your first word referring to my name because you constantly heard your mother yelled at me. If I were given another chance to repeat it all from the very beginning, I would gladly recreate a family as long as it's consisted of you and your mother. Yet, to be honest, I don't regret anything in this life except for allowing your mother to depart this life early._

 _You still have a bright future to look forward to, Erika. Don't give up on life yet just because you lost both of your parents. I believe there are so many people who still care about you and your well-being. However, we can't control what lies ahead, nor do I wish to control your future. But we can always avoid falling into disgrace by simply obeying the rules, for example. As for me, I won't allow you to drink before you reach 20, nor gamble (they might be addictive, but also corrupting at the same time), and strictly no sex before marriage! Don't trust boys, no matter what, they're all the same._

 _Like I said, no one can control the future completely. You get to decide freely what you're going to become regardless of the branch member status. Fate is not predetermined, after all. Don't let anyone tread on your toes, including the main family. Despite everything, your mother and I will always love you. Remember that._

 _Love,_

 _Otou-san_

"Erika, are you alright?" Inquired Itachi worriedly as Erika lifted her chin up, "Don't hold it in, feel comfortable to cry your eyes out or give vent to me. I'm all ears."

Her eyes glistened in relief. At long last, her pale lips stretched out to a haunting smile. "I'm unbelievably fine," she announced. "It's… strange when I thought I would shed tears after reading Otou-san's letter, but I feel _much_ better now—no, I actually feel _hopeful_."

"I'm glad to hear that," Itachi smiled back. "Do you mind sharing it? I'd like to know what it takes to cheer you up in case I have no remaining tricks in the future."

She dissolved into laughter, "To put it simply, just say what you're meaning to tell while you get the chance to."

"For instance?"

"Thanks for staying with me, Itachi." She murmured, " _I love you_."

To her surprise, Itachi's cheeks turned as red as Asoka flowers in the garden. He might not put it into words, but she was somehow able to confirm that he reciprocated her feelings, more or less. Little did she know that she had been too concerned about what people said about the relationship that youngsters like them developed. For that reason, they chose not to expose it to anyone, let alone display their affection for all to see. Except for today, other people's opinions wouldn't stand in their way. So what if they were young? It didn't refrain them from distinguishing between platonic love and _romantic_ love, still and all. So what if it wouldn't last forever? They wouldn't have known unless they tried, does it not how love work?

"Itachi," called her with a hopeful smile. "I'm waiting…"

"… Do I really have to say it out loud? It's kind of—"

"Embarrassing?" She pouted.

"Fine…" He sighed in defeat, "I won't repeat myself, therefore, listen to it carefully…"

" _I love you too."_

* * *

The only time Itachi didn't get to spend with Erika was when she told him to call it a night. Other than that, he got to watch over her at all times, making up for lost time even. He took the initiative to wake up with the chickens so that he was able to come over to her house and prepare breakfast for her. What's more, he served it on the _bed_ as if she was living the dream. If truth be told, she felt bad for not having done something spectacular to him up to this time, not counting the necklace she purchased from the jewelry store. Despite the fact that she had asked him not to trouble himself too much, she deep down enjoyed being pampered especially by him once in a while.

As much as she still considered it surreal even now, she wouldn't pass on the opportunity to be accompanied by him all the time.

There were also times when Erika herself asked Sasuke to come along. Even if the younger Uchiha ended up hauling them over to train with him, as his doctor and older brother, they were left with no option but to observe him since he had only been on the road to recovery.

The heat of summer crept across the vast field, igniting the tips of each grass so that any contact with perspiring skin would feel like a cut. Erika slanted her body forward, hands touching her knees to merely prop her up. Relentlessly, she caught for breath, profuse sweat streaming down her face. Detecting his nosy doctor had finally reached her limits, Sasuke couldn't help but make fun of it, "For a girl your age, you sure have weak stamina."

"Oh, you don't sound like a boy your age _either,"_ Erika straightened her body up, "Practice is enough for today! Thanks for your hard work, everybody!"

"What?! We only started half an hour ago! Besides, Iruka-sensei is going to examine our Ninjutsu skills tomorrow," he turned to Itachi full of hopes, "Nii-san! You can still keep going, right? Please don't end this training so soon!"

"Sure, as long as you don't push yourself too hard," the older Uchiha darted a glance at Erika, "Is it fine by you, _Sensei_?"

The young doctor looked away, "I don't see why I still have a say in this. You'll go against my words anyway."

"Why do you have to get Erika's permission, Nii-san? She was only my doctor for a while, not our Kaa-san," Sasuke commented with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Furiously, she put both of her hands on her hips, "Excuse me, but I'm _still_ your doctor, Sasuke!"

"Whatever," the younger Uchiha shrugged his shoulders, "Don't listen to her, Nii-san. Why did she have to tag along if she can't even keep up with us?"

"Ugh, _please_. I'm the one who invited you to join Itachi and me so that you won't speak of me stealing your precious brother anymore," protested Erika. "You know what? You should've at least shown some respect to express your thanks to me."

"We'll continue with the training for now," Itachi came to a biased decision, which led Sasuke to stick out his tongue, "Then again, I'd also like to apologize on Sasuke's behalf if he happens to hurt your feelings. He's actually a really good kid and didn't mean it."

"You've killed him with too much kindness, Itachi," observed Erika. "At this rate, he won't be able to stand on his own two feet in the future."

In anticipation of his little brother challenging Erika more, Itachi managed to gesture him to keep his head by putting his hand over Sasuke's mouth, "No more insults, _please_. Learn to keep it to yourself if you don't have anything nice to say, Sasuke. And Erika is right, show some respect for your elders. What do you usually address her as?"

"Erika."

"Ha. You call me 'Usuratonkachi' from time to time, too!" When Sasuke glared at her, the young doctor pretended to cover her mouth in dismay, "Oops, I wasn't supposed to tattle on you! Slip of the tongue, my bad."

"I have an idea," announced the older Uchiha suspiciously, his expression becoming serious all of a sudden, "Sasuke, we will call it a day unless you call her 'Nee-san'."

"What?!" They exclaimed in harmony.

"There's no way I'm calling you _that,"_ added the younger Uchiha.

"Having you as my patient is also more than enough for me. Thanks, but _no_ thanks."

"Come on, you two…" Itachi sighed exasperatedly.

Sasuke claimed, "Well, she has to prove her strength first in order to gain my respect."

"Don't underestimate her too much, Sasuke," warned his older brother. "Erika here is one of the best Ninjutsu users in our class."

"I can't believe you're overestimating me _too_ much, Uchiha!" The two brothers exchanged a confused look, "The older one, I mean."

"Also my specialty is actually—"

Itachi whispered, _"Just play along, will you?"_

"Ninjutsu!" Erika's serious gaze directed to Sasuke, "Can't you believe I even beat your brother one on one?"

"Of course not," answered the younger Uchiha brutally honest. "I need proof."

" _That's what you get when you're stretching the truth way too far,"_ reminded Itachi. _"Don't worry, I will go easy on you."_

Erika rolled her eyes unenthusiastically before stating further, "Shall we fight a duel then?" She talked in an undertone, _"I'm counting on you."_

" _We'll make you leave a good impression on Sasuke for sure."_

"Don't lose to her, Nii-san!"

Right on cue, the two took a few steps back to get ready. Erika leaned slightly forward, her heels sticking to the ground. In the twinkling of an eye, her opponent had already switched on his blood-red Sharingan, almost putting her in a trance if she had taken the fight lightly. Bearing in mind the opponent she was confronting was Itachi, by all means; he would triumph over her effortlessly. Since this match merely required Ninjutsu strength, meaning she wouldn't have to come into direct contact with him, she opted for not activating her rangebound Byakugan to clog up his chakra pathway.

As soon as Itachi's hands began to form hand seals, Erika followed suit, having the Water Dragon jutsu in mind, notwithstanding that it had been quite a long time since she actually used that technique. As predicted, a ball of flames came out of his mouth. At first, the fervent heat struck as if it could devour its surroundings in an instant, causing Erika to move backward a bit prior to setting the water dragon on her opponent precisely. Luckily, it came out decently—more decent than she expected, to be honest. But her water dragon was pale in comparison with Itachi's fireball, causing him to humbly adjust to her feeble force in order to shine a spotlight on her.

"Not bad," praised Sasuke.

"By 'not bad' he actually means…" Itachi continued, " _Awesome_."

She nudged the older Uchiha in the rib and murmured _, "Thanks to you, he realizes you weren't fighting seriously."_

"It's a bit disappointing you took it easy on her, Nii-san. I know you could've won against her if you wanted to…" Sasuke pointed out, his gaze moving to Erika. "But how come you were able to release a large amount of water in such a dry place?"

"How do I put it? That's because our bodies individually contain up to 60% water," answered Erika cleverly. "For that reason, I suggest the two of you drinking water to restore the water contents that I stole before you get thirsty."

"Even worse, I think I've become dehydrated now," Sasuke snorted, facing away. "H-hey, Nee-san, can you pass me the bottle?"

"Do you want me to spill it over on you or—" She froze momentarily before a teasing grin crept across her face, "Can you repeat yourself?"

His older brother opened out his eyes in surprise, "What did you call her just now, Sasuke?"

"Not you, too, Nii-san!"

* * *

"Erika?"

She stood still before the memorial stone. Her shadow was now twice as long as the sun dipped lower into the horizon. Without hurrying, her shadow joined together with his, melting away into the blackness of night.

When he thought she could be reminded of the commander as yet, mourning over her father who had passed away a couple of days ago, she proved him wrong by spinning her body around, greeting him with a heartfelt smile.

"Even though it had only been a really short time since we reconciled, I won't forget how much you adored me when I was little, Otou-san. I think it's true when they say a father is every daughter's first love," she paused, grasping his hand, "If you had not assigned that silly mission to Itachi, I don't think we would come together again. I'm glad you entrusted me with him. Your subordinate's been doing an outstanding job and will continue to look after me from now on. So, you can set your mind at rest now, Otou-san."

In his heart of hearts, he asked himself when the last time he was feeling genuinely happy—not the superficial happiness he found when he made his parents proud by achieving top marks at the Academy, but the feeling of forgetting the weight of the world he'd been carrying on his shoulders even for just a while. It utterly felt unrealistic—too good to be true, if he were to describe it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that happiness was merely a temporary sensation. He had to admit that it was reservedly created to detach people from their responsibilities. It went without saying that all people wished to be happy. Then again, did it not make _true_ happiness hard to come by?

"Itachi,"

"Yeah…?"

To him, she was a fighter outside the battlefield. A happy mess. She had endured a lot of things, which he wouldn't have the heart to wish on his worst enemy. She who had lost two of the most important people in her life valued the lives of people she had no knowledge of greatly. She could be the epitome of self-sacrifice that he'd been trying to figure out until now. But the real world seemed to have forgotten to return the favor to her. To make matters worse, he chose to side with the cold reality by making her believe that he would linger without feeling guilty in the slightest about murdering her father.

"Are you alright?" She put on a worried look, "You don't look very well. Are you sick?"

He wondered, until when he could persist in deceiving. Yet, would it make a difference if he were to tell her the truth now? Little did he know that he had already handled her with kid gloves.

" _No matter how dirty the job you're doing, leave her out of this,"_

" _Itachi."_

" _Itachi!"_

His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose painfully. "Shall we head—"

"I'm all right. It—there is nothing to worry about," he faked another smile briefly before fixating his gaze on the memorial stone sternly, "I intend to fulfill your request, _Sir_. Just give me some time to make myself ready."

* * *

Author's note: bruh, this chapter is _so_ cringeworthy, i'm gonna cry in the corner. but we all need this break after all the tragedies we've gone through, especially when i've dropped a hint about what will happen in the next chapter. not to mention, i also suck at writing a fight scene. please forgive me. *spoiler* next chap will be the last of this era, prepare yourself!


	19. What He Thought He Truly Deserved

**Chapter 19:** What He Thought He Truly Deserved

Itachi went back to work as if he'd never taken time off. He assumed that if he stopped questioning Danzō's ulterior motive for every mission he assigned him, who knows if Danzō would reward him by calling off the massacre or putting the idea out of his insane mind, to say the least. Itachi would also be lying if he said he wasn't pleased to make a report to Danzō at the end of the day. He wasn't certain since when he developed this habit, but he would usually pay a quick visit to the hospital and hide in one of the trees that enabled him to observe Erika in silence. Perhaps he would be _too_ ashamed of himself if she ever found out, notwithstanding the fact that they'd been in a confusing relationship, which they were still trying to figure out these past few weeks and still counting.

Be that as it may, it seemed one of his subordinates informed on the commander—or Danzō had caught the subordinates slacking off while he hadn't received any reports on their accomplished mission. The captain wasn't sure. And he couldn't care less about knowing the truth either.

"Why did you not return immediately and make a progress report before wandering off?" Demanded Danzō, eye scanning from head to toe.

"I didn't go anywhere."

The corner of his lips twitched slightly upward, "I saw you stop by the hospital a little while ago."

Itachi swallowed his saliva. Lying wasn't really his thing… Besides, why did Danzō ask when he knew the answer already? To get him under pressure as he pleased?

"Hyūga Erika… How far does she know?" Continued him.

"What do you mean by how far? Of course, she doesn't know anything." Glared Itachi.

"Including you murdering her only living parent?"

"I did _not_ kill him!" Exclaimed Itachi spontaneously, his eyes widening in horror.

"You must be feeling guilty that much to the point of raising your voice like that," commented Danzō cynically while walking around the young captain, his eye fixating on him. "People these days are hard to trust, especially when it comes to keeping their personal life and job separated. In truth, that's what got Kiyoshi killed. He failed to keep them balanced at once."

"So, you think you're any different from him? Getting rid of him merely because of hard feelings involved, did you not?"

His rude remarks stopped Danzō dead in his tracks.

"That would be very low of me," answered him monotonously. "Kiyoshi attempted at letting Fugaku know when it was never his place to do so. For that reason, I ask you how far she knows so that we can prevent any rebellious actions from happening—"

"By _killing_ her?"

He smirked, "I'm impressed you understand _almost_ everything quickly and correctly."

"If I happened to let it slip, wouldn't it be more reasonable for me to face the music alone instead of putting all the blame on her?"

"Why would you sacrifice yourself for someone like her?" Suspiciously, Danzō raised one of his eyebrows, "What is your exact relationship with her, Itachi?"

"Because I won't let any innocent souls slip away again this time, that is all."

If truth be told, he wasn't fully lying. He put everyone else's well-being first—it didn't have to be specifically Erika. He would only be lying to himself if he denied that he didn't care for her, but it would never exceed his concern about Sasuke. The fact couldn't be changed—blood indeed ran thicker than water. Regardless of that, it's not about how long you've known someone. It only felt like yesterday since he met Erika, yet he had no idea that someone like her would have the ability to send butterflies in his stomach, causing him to feel what he'd never felt before. It was _love_. An excessive and undeserving one.

But there was a significant difference between Sasuke and Erika that made Itachi opt for Sasuke in a heartbeat.

If he were to follow Danzō's order, he would definitely find himself guilty and nothing could ever compensate for the crime he would commit. He would never be able to forgive himself for it. Even so, Erika definitely would. In a heartbeat. Even if it was clearly bigger than the times he disappeared without a word and then completely ignored her for about two weeks or longer. Little did he know that he had been such a jerk for treating her horribly. Strangely enough, she still welcomed him with open arms, although he had to ask for her forgiveness repeatedly and changed her mind by making another empty promise. She forgave him, no matter what. And now he realized that he didn't deserve her at all, nor her forgiveness this time.

Whereas Sasuke was still like a blank canvas that he could paint with any colors. It shouldn't be difficult to make Sasuke believe that he wasn't the older brother he always thought highly of. He was only pretending. In the end, Sasuke would develop hatred toward him and live with it until he became a skillful shinobi, who had the capability, also every right to take the life of his clan's murderer. At long last, Sasuke would get the glory from the world while the rest of the world recognized him as a cold-blooded villain—what a _perfect_ scenario. That's what he thought he truly deserved.

He asked himself once again, was he certain about it? Why would he do it?

But then, another question came to the surface, if it weren't him, who else would?

* * *

The mourning caused Erika not to be able to take another leave from work again, yet she was still thankful for Dr. Hideki's tolerance somehow. It hadn't been long since Erika didn't attend work but she felt the hospital became busier than usual that she had to adapt to the pace everyone was working with as if it was her first day again. Konoha was hosting another Chūnin Exam this year, so she wouldn't be too surprised if there were more injured Genins than usual today, seeing that Genins wouldn't usually be assigned to any life-threatening missions.

The busy day didn't allow her to check the weather outside. She wasn't even aware of the moment, whether the sun was still shining or the night had fallen. Suddenly, Mayumi who just had the time to eat her lunch in the afternoon whispered to Erika who was examining a patient, "You should've taken a break." Reminded her, "Have you eaten anything today?"

"Yeah, I had breakfast before I went to work, which is unusual. I'd like to applaud myself for it," answered Erika nonchalantly, moving to the next patient's bed. She scanned the young boy from head to toe before asking, "Any complaints?"

"My arms are broken. Is it still possible for me to continue the fight? I don't wish to keep my teammates waiting."

Without further ado, Erika put her hand above one of the patient's hands as she transferred green, friendly chakra to the unmoving hand. After she completed the process, she did the exact same thing to the other hand and waited until the muscles showed a response to her treatment slightly. "Realistically speaking, it won't be possible for you to continue the fight right away. Your hands need more time to be fully recovered, so I really suggest you against making unnecessary movements with your hands in order to heal them faster."

The young boy stared in horror, "H-how long does it take at max?"

"Roughly a month, if you take my advice seriously, of course." Assured Erika as she walked away.

Before long, the nurse came after and snorted from behind, "If you fall sick, you'll only be weighing everyone down here, Sensei. How can you look after a patient if you cannot look after yourself first?"

"I can't tell whether you're genuinely worried about me or you just don't want to see me around that much, Mayumi-san," the young doctor shook her shoulders, "But no need to worry anymore, because actually, I was about to ask you to take over from me while I'm grabbing something to eat. So, bye! For now."

She wasted no time in taking off her white coat and threw it into the locker. After she had made sure that she brought along a necessary amount of money, in a little while, she traveled to the entrance hall and had to pass by the receptionist desk in order to exit the hospital. However, a commotion drew her attention for a moment, especially when she realized her name was mentioned a couple of times.

"Are you looking for me?" Asked Erika politely. She looked around, surprised to discover that two Uchiha police officers had arrived earlier than her. Seemingly, the unwanted visitor had caused quite a commotion to the point of inviting the policemen right away.

The unwanted visitor turned out to be a young lady in her early 30s; she had a long, silky, black hair framing her tiny face. Her eyes were like a starless night sky after a rainy day, displaying deep emotions Erika failed to describe. Was it anger? Or perhaps, curiosity? She still couldn't tell. She even had to blink twice to read the situation.

"Hyūga Erika?" All of a sudden, the older woman grabbed Erika's hands and started to squeeze them, her onyx eyes gazing into hers as if they were begging for answers. "I-is it true that Shisui was killed? Is it true that you were the one who found his body?"

"Calm down, Miss—" Erika threw a glance at one of the officers, "Could you at least explain to me what's going on here?"

"She's Uchiha Kanna, Shisui's biological mother. Not long after Shisui's father passed away, she remarried with a Kumo man and moved to another village, leaving her only son behind. As far as I'm concerned, she's still in deep shock after learning the sudden death of her son."

Regrets always come last and you can't blame anyone for it. Erika would ideally be the first person to understand Kanna's circumstances since she had unexpectedly and tragically lost both of her parents recently. At first, she really thought Shisui was _murdered_ instead of committing suicide; she even had gathered scientific proof to back up her arguments. However, she began to change her mind about proving Fugaku wrong after she learned that her thoughtless speculation had gotten Itachi fallen under suspicion that he really killed Shisui and faked a suicide note, which raised _more_ suspicion in the end.

Then again, she failed to muster up enough courage to ask him whether he really did it or not. What if he did? Would it affect the way she saw him? Would she cut him off after knowing the truth? Isn't it a Ninja's job to kill one another if the goal is to make peace? But why would Itachi kill Shisui in the first place when they didn't seem to hold any grudges against each other? Maybe it was best not to know at all. Because some things were meant to be untold, after all.

Perhaps she was more terrified of discovering that Itachi wasn't like whom she thought of. What if she couldn't accept the _real_ him?

Erika made up her mind, "I'm sorry. Kanna-san. I'd rather not talk about it. It's best for us."

Abruptly, one of the policemen took hold of Kanna's wrist and intended to drag her off, "Satisfied now? You have to come with us—"

Kanna pulled her arm and broke free by force, her eyes glaring, "I know you're hiding something! I knew everything already! I just want to hear it directly from the witness!"

"Care to explain what's this commotion all about?" Spoke a familiar voice. When Erika thought _this_ couldn't be worse, she was wrong.

Kanna's once doll-like eyes opened out as if they could come out of the sockets. Without warning, she pointed her finger at the recently arrived ANBU as her face flushed with anger, "You murderer! How could you kill Shisui? He treated you like you were his own brother! How dare you?!"

"Kanna-san… I didn't expect you to come back but let me give my explanation first. It's not what it seems like…" Gently, Itachi pushed Kanna's shoulders down, which caused her to spontaneously rub his hands off.

Quietly, Erika reached Itachi's arm, "What are you doing here? Since when did you get here?"

Without notice, the Uchiha lady wrapped her hand around Erika's wrist and pulled it backward aggressively, "He's the one who killed my son, isn't he?"

For a moment, Itachi exchanged a doubtful look with Erika before adding, "I didn't kill Shisui, Kanna-san. I just happened to be the last person he saw before he ended his life. If you would like to hear my side of the story, let me guide you to a quiet place where we can talk over it in private. I'll tell you everything—just don't force her to talk when she has no idea about it."

Kanna only laughed it off, "What do you mean she has no idea about it? She's been persuading everyone that my son was killed instead of killing himself. And I've heard many words on the street that you killed my son. Doesn't it make sense now? If you two are going to fool me since you two seem to know each other pretty well, at least team up first and make a better excuse than this."

Itachi didn't bat an eyelash, causing Erika to realize that she'd disappointed him _so_ much. "T-that's not true!" Denied her with a shaky voice. She turned to Itachi, "Itachi! I can explain—"

"Do not say anything if it's only going to make the situation worse," warned him as he looked daggers at her, "I honestly don't know what made you certain of me murdering my own best friend and even spread a false rumor about it."

She agreed that the time always played the bad guy in every story. Once again, she could only blame others. She too wondered when she could stop blaming others and take responsibility for her action for once.

"Itachi! Hear me out first, will you? It's only a misunderstanding!"

"Stop right there! We're going to solve this at the office peacefully, got it? So, I ask you two to come with us to the office right now." Interrupted one of the police officers. When the young doctor was gesturing that she would come along, the other policeman stopped her in the tracks, "Just Kanna and Itachi. Thank you for your cooperation in advance."

It had always been Itachi's role to beg for her mercy. And now when the tables were turned, she had no absolute idea that it would be much more difficult to ask for his forgiveness. But one thing for certain, she had let him down deeper than he ever brought her down.

* * *

A day felt longer when something was bothering her mind, causing her to space out occasionally at work. More often than not, Mayumi caught the young doctor unusually sneaking a glance at the clock and heaved a sigh after she found out that her shift hadn't come to an end yet.

Suddenly, a wild idea crossed the nurse's mind, "Hey, I have another blind date tonight. Can you cover for me?"

Yet, Erika only knitted her brows in disapproval, "Again?" She fell silent in a moment before adding, "Ask someone else. I'm quite in a hurry tonight."

"Quite in a hurry?" It was Mayumi's turn to crease her forehead, but now in bewilderment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," the young doctor let out another sigh. Could she trust her? Perhaps Mayumi could be more experienced than her when it came to 'dating' stuff, yet the generation gap made it rather difficult for her to speak out. "Just like you, I also have to go somewhere after work."

"Oh! Is it a blind date?" Exclaimed the older lady, surprised. "But why don't you look excited at all?"

"Because it isn't a blind date, duh!" Noticing Mayumi's high notes had led people surrounding them to suddenly turn to them, Erika's cheeks burned up in embarrassment following that. "L-let's get back to work for now. I'll catch you later!"

Usually, Erika would still be able to concentrate during work even if she wasn't on good terms with Itachi. But now, her mind kept thinking of ways of asking for forgiveness. Was it really a big deal for Itachi? She wouldn't have thought that he wouldn't be the type to forgive people easily, but it was all too late now. She might have made a huge mistake. Likewise, Itachi repeated his mistakes more than once, too. Yet, she was still able to forgive him somehow. _Somehow._ Because his effort didn't lie, or at least it successfully made her believe that he really _tried._

Maybe the reason he kept making the same mistake was that he didn't consider it a 'big deal' in the first place.

Once again, it was unfair.

In the middle of her daydreaming, abruptly, the older lady pushed her aside with her elbow while she was treating a patient. "Here, let me take care of it."

Erika took a quick look at Mayumi a little bit in panic, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting the wound clean. It's a simple job—it doesn't require a medical-nin title to do it," all of a sudden, Mayumi spoke in an undertone, "I don't want the other patients to notice the unprofessional side of you, especially not Hideki-sensei. Also, I was only joking about the blind date, so you're free to go now if you want—I'll fill in for you."

She had to blink twice while processing. "Mayumi-san, are you asking me to leave?"

The nurse sighed, "Seriously, can you stop having doubts about every kindness I've shown?"

"Thanks, Mayumi-san. As much as I really want to go, but…" Erika glimpsed the clock worriedly, "Saving lives is more important than my personal business. I'll stay until my shift ends."

"Yeah, of course. Saving lives is much more important, but your mind is wandering off somewhere. I'm afraid you'd make a crucial mistake while giving treatment. I clearly know my place that I'm solely serving as a nurse here, but trust me—I have more experiences than you and at this rate, I cannot let you operate on anyone. Therefore, it's better if you go and find your mind first so that you'll return to your usual, undistracted self tomorrow. What about it?"

"Fine," Without delay, Erika spun her body around, "I'm sorry for being unprofessional and all, but thanks for reading me very well, Mayumi-san. I still hope you won't tattle to Hideki-sensei, come what may."

* * *

At the end of the day, Erika decided to wait for Itachi at the front gate where she would usually greet him after he had gotten back from his mission. However, a couple of hours had ticked by, darkness starting to swallow the shadows, yet Itachi still didn't show up.

Out of nowhere, a man in ANBU uniform approached her, "Aren't you the one Taichō always meeting? Are you waiting for him?"

"Yes," answered Erika firmly. "Have you seen him?"

"He's supposed to be done reporting to Danzō-sama by now."

"Oh," was all she said. "Can you tell him that I'm looking for him?"

"Well, he told me if I happened to see you, I should tell you not to wait for him."

She almost choked, "H-he really said that?"

The mysterious ANBU only nodded before disappearing without a word.

Was her mistake that unforgivable to the point he didn't wish to face her at all? How could she make up for it if Itachi himself didn't give her the chance to tell him her side of the story? As much as she tried to acknowledge her serious mistake and understand completely that Itachi had every right to be furious and maybe disappointed with her, what another part of her couldn't apprehend was why he decided to cut her off all of a sudden as if he had been anticipating the right moment to walk out on her from the start. She particularly got disrespected when he had his subordinate deliver the message instead of letting her know directly.

Even so, it wouldn't make her stop trying. Perhaps, if Itachi ended up forgiving her sincerely, they could rebuild their relationship from the start, where there was no more secrets to hide—no more white lies to protect each other.

They could be just themselves without giving a hoot about what others may say.

Then again, the idealism was _too_ naïve to be attained. Especially when she had to make a reality of it on her own.

With reluctance, she agreed to return home empty-handed. Just when she was walking along the forest without hurrying, she recalled the last time she actually got the time to stroll around the village by herself. Surely, it had been a very long time—thanks to her busy schedules nowadays.

The forest that was so alive on the day now chilled her to the bone. The cold air of the night made her speed up her pace on impulse. Until her nose got a sniff of a smell of smoke, her feet rooted to the ground, eyes looking around full of alert. As much as her intuition warned her not to move closer to the fire, her heart of hearts somehow assured her that the least she could do to prevent the fire from dispersing was extinguish it with Water Release. Though she failed to detect any water springs nearby, there was never harm in trying.

Unexpectedly, as Erika got close to the ignition source, she encountered Sasuke, lying down on his back, unmoving.

"Sasuke!"

Immediately, she rushed to him, managing to think clearly even in this urgent situation. As she sat on her heels, she was about to shake his body carefully to test his reflex response. Much to her surprise, Sasuke regained his consciousness before long.

"What are you doing here? The forest is burning! Get up and let's get out of here!"

For all that, he didn't rise to his feet instantly. Instead, he looked around and smiled widely from ear to ear. "What did you say? Did I really cause this fire?"

"What were you even thinking? Are you out of your mind?" Yelled her, "Take me to any springs nearby! I'll find a way to put the fire out."

"This way!"

Fortunately, it took only a few minutes to arrive at the water spring Sasuke located beforehand and Erika still managed to extinguish the fire with her Suiton jutsu. And at long last, she was able to heave a sigh of relief before rebuking the little Uchiha.

"Hear me out first, okay? I was just practicing the Great Fireball jutsu so that I can finally get Otou-san's acknowledgment. I didn't intend to burn the entire forest down. Well, I didn't expect I'm able to master the jutsu tonight—I thought it would take longer, but it's not like I'm complaining so—"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," the older girl interrupted. "At least you're not dying and that's more important for now."

As far as she could remember, Sasuke had already called her 'Nee-san', yet she wondered where that suffix went now.

"Let's—"

"What about we—"

That very minute, Erika burst into an awkward laughter. "Go on," she told him.

"I actually can't wait to go home, but I'm worried a clumsy girl like you won't be able to make it home safely. So, I'll walk you home first. What will you say?"

"Oh, please," she only laughed it off. "Where did a brat like you learn such big words like those? I'll walk you home instead."

"What? No!"

"Okay, scratch _that._ I'm not walking you home," corrected her. "I'll stop by your home. Besides, I'm craving for Mikoto-san's home-cooked meals, let's go!"

* * *

From the window in his room, Itachi spotted Erika and her younger brother in front of his house. He began to wonder what exactly she had in mind, having the courage to show her face when he had given her every indication to stay away from him. To make matters worse, Mikoto let her in, welcoming her with open arms even. Well, he couldn't blame his mother who had taught him to treat their guests with courtesy. Especially when he chose to drive everyone away and carried the weight of the world alone on his shoulders.

Ever since she appeared in front of his house, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The more she got close to him, the more he wanted to push her away, far away from his sight because he was scared of the consequences Danzō had warned him about. It might get herself hurt in the end if he wasn't joking about it and Itachi wouldn't ever have the heart to wish on his worst enemy even. To be able to make him shaking in his shoes—that's how fearful the prime mover of the Foundation was.

Erika's face seemed brightened when Mikoto invited her in. Before she set foot in the house, she looked up to sneak a glance at the window to Itachi's room and that was when their eyes met. Almost immediately, he shut the curtain before letting himself immerse in her deep, hopeful gaze.

 _No. Please don't give me that look._

His knees were shaking as he failed to comprehend why. His heels that were unable to support his body any minute now let his back press against the wall, slipping down gradually. Weakly, he hugged his knees and bury his face in them. Yet, it didn't help _much_. The temperature in his room strangely chilled him to the bone as if the tip of kunai was ready to pierce through the back of his neck.

Before long, there were knocks on his door.

"Itachi, it's me," greeted a familiar voice. _Of course, you don't have to tell._

"I-I'm—" she sighed in desperation, "I'm really sorry. For not telling you in advance that I'd been putting ideas into Fugaku-san's head that Shisui was murdered. I didn't know they're suspecting you until now. I should've considered your feelings first when you just lost your best friend, not making speculations. T-that's not all—I just realized I kept demanding you not to hide anything from me when I myself hid it from you for quite a long time. I-it's not fair, is it? Therefore, after you're able to forgive me, I hope there won't be any secrets between us. How about it?"

Itachi remained silent. How he wished it was that _easy_. How he wished everything was that simple from the beginning. But it clearly was not. He was faced with two options, whether to choose to keep the majority of people that he could barely recognize from harm or to side with his clansmen even if his conscience was firmly against it. The time just seemed to ally itself with him by bringing Kanna and Erika together at the right moment when he had been struggling to give Erika a reason to keep her distance from him. What if he told her that he wouldn't be mad at her merely because of a little misunderstanding? He would still be able to forgive her no matter how much the pain she caused him.

But he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he chose to selfishly drag her into the crime he was about to commit.

"I'm sorry if my visit makes you uncomfortable to go downstairs and have dinner with your family, so I'm bringing your dinner with me. Where should I put this tray?"

 _No, Itachi. It's not only for her sake. It's for Konoha's._

He heard her put down the tray in front of the door, "Please make sure you eat it." Without hurrying, he rose to his feet and came toward the door, "I'll be going then—"

And opened it.

Her hazel eyes enlarged in surprise. "Come in," commanded him as he stepped aside, giving her way.

"Give me a second," she slightly inclined her body to pick up the tray and entered his room.

Carefully, she placed the tray on the desk near his bed, "Here—"

"To tell you the truth," interrupted Itachi. "I was there when Kiyoshi-san, your father breathed his last."

Of other ways to keep her safe, he chose the hardest.

"W-what do you mean? A-are you…?"

"Yes," he nodded right away. "I was technically the boy you're looking for, the boy that the bartender remembered to present at that night. I witnessed everything. From the beginning to the end."

In dismay, she panted as if she'd been running around. "What were you doing that night?"

"I was given an order to assassinate him by poisoning his drink."

Her face was as red as a beet. Gradually, she raised her voice, "Who gave you such an order? Why would you even do that?"

 _Forgive me, Erika._

"I can't tell you. It's confidential."

Still fighting for breath, her eyes staring in horror, "I can't believe you." She added, "I-if you're given an order to kill me, will you do it?"

He didn't utter a word.

"Answer me!"

 _Please forgive me._

"Yes."

Shortly after, she broke down in tears, kneeling in front of him as if she was asking for mercy. "Tell me you're joking!" Yelled her as she lifted up her chin, "It's not even funny, Uchiha!"

 _I lied._

"You comforted me when I was having the hardest time in my life. You stayed by my side when I thought I needed some time alone. You even delivered Otou-san's letter to me and gave me the courage to read it. But it was _all_ a facade?"

His silence let her draw a final conclusion, "That's it, Uchiha. You've changed. A lot. You're no longer the boy I used to know and I don't think I'll be able to look the boy who killed my father in the eye ever again. Don't ever show your face in front of me! Even if you're assigned to kill me next, I'll put up a fight to make you regret ever targeting me!"

Then again, that's what he thought he truly deserved, not her forgiveness again this time. He had ascertained it in some ways.

She ran away tearfully. Somehow, she managed to run across the corridor almost quietly, not intending to involve the rest of the Uchiha who were still enjoying their dinner peacefully in the dining room. After he could no longer sense her chakra, meaning that she'd departed from his house, he half-heartedly came near the desk where she set the tray on. Instead of the food his mother had prepared, his arm reached for the drawer where he kept all the presents he had received so far and other memories of his childhood inside. As he opened the drawer, things that caught his eyes were the necklace he got from Erika as a birthday present and a photography of his nuclear family that they took as a celebration for his ANBU enlistment. He brought the loose necklace into his palm and smiled at it woefully. The sender once said she got it custom-made, but it seemed a bit generously cut for him as yet, which he determined to wear when he was older. Sad to say that he wouldn't get the chance to show it to her. Even if he were gotten the chance to, he wasn't sure she would still be curious about him ever wearing it. He doubted she was still able to recognize him by that time.

His eyes moved to the family photograph where he was smiling slightly in it. Unlike the modest smile he displayed, Sasuke was smiling widely—grinning, perhaps. Unknowingly, warm tears began to stream down his face—but _why?_ Why is he crying? Why is his heart aching? Isn't it a bit too soon to cry?

His thumb caressed Sasuke's face on the picture, "Forgive me, Sasuke… I-I have no choice."

 _I hope you'll understand someday._

* * *

The moon looked so fully bright tonight, yet scaring Erika to a certain degree that she chose to shut the curtain without second thoughts. Although she had made sure that all the windows in the emergency room were locked, she was still able to feel chilled to the point that she had to put her hands deeper into the pockets of her white coat. She left work early the other day, resulting in working the night shift at Mayumi's request. There weren't many patients admitted to the emergency room, to boot. Most of them had been given treatment and either moved to their rooms or sent home, making her alone for the time being.

It wasn't long until a female ANBU crossed the threshold of the emergency room, bringing an unconscious, familiar patient in her arms.

The patient was Uchiha Sasuke.

Hurriedly, Erika went to the recently arrived patient and his current guardian, "Where did you find him? Is his surgical wound opened?"

"There was a mass murder involving the Uchiha Clan," announced the female ANBU, "This boy is the only survivor."

The young doctor froze. Suddenly, a thought of Itachi crossed her mind. "W-who would have done that?"

"Uchiha Itachi," answered her. "But we failed to catch him."

* * *

Author's note: hi! it's been so long. I should've uploaded this chapter before this semester started (and now it has come to an end) but some things happened (read: writer's block and procrastination) so here it is! Hope the long-awaited (forgotten) update won't disappoint you. At least, we've completed the pre-part I arc! Tell me what you think of this chapter by reviewing ;)


	20. Vicious Circle

**Chapter 20:** Vicious Circle

"Good morning—" greeted Dr. Saburo, "I believe your shift has just ended. Are you visiting someone?"

"How's Uchiha Sasuke's condition?" Inquired Erika without beating around the bush, stepping into the emergency room and throwing an eye on every inhabited bed.

"He's still unconscious," informed the new doctor, lowering his voice on purpose. "I can't believe such a tragedy would befall a young boy like him. I thought he got admitted due to his opening surgical incision, but a massacre is just _too_ much. I can't even imagine stepping into the poor boy's shoes, waking up just to be conscious of the fact that you're all alone—I'd rather sleep for good if I had the choice."

A massacre was just _too_ much for anyone to handle, especially for a young boy like Sasuke. If truth be told, Erika still couldn't accept the truth that the wholesale slaughter had left out no one of the Uchiha Clan but Sasuke in particular, assigning fault to Itachi whose whereabouts were still in search of. Erika couldn't determine which shocked her more—Itachi turning out to be a cold-blooded murderer or Itachi whom she'd always known for being good-natured for all this time having the heart to wipe out his own flesh and blood in one night.

The more she looked back on it, the more the indecisive state felt surprisingly familiar as if she'd undergone it before.

"He's a shinobi to come, Sensei. He must endure it." Erika's gaze softened as she turned to Saburo, "Where is he now?"

"Let me show you the way."

Saburo wasn't lying when he said Sasuke was still passing out. As soon as she entered the room, her hazel eyes stared woefully at the empty flower pot next to Sasuke's bed. Too bad she also didn't bring a bouquet along. She should've known better. In case of Sasuke not coming around at any moment, it would hopefully convey a message that someone had paid him a visit, to say the least. It was the least she could do to make Sasuke feel _less_ lonely by the time he bestirred himself.

"I'll leave him in your care." Said the new doctor before walking away.

Casually, Erika advanced toward the window to open it and let the fresh air blow into the room. The weather today was unbelievably bright for what happened last night, as if meteorological conditions tried to wipe the tragic event off of the minds of Konoha's villagers. Before long, she faced the summer breeze away to glance at Sasuke. Sweat rolled down his temples, face muscles also seeming to make a limited movement. But strangely, he didn't wake up—no, he couldn't. Hurriedly, Erika activated her Byakugan to look into his body. And what she feared had become a reality—Sasuke's chakra flow was in disruption, meaning he was caught under an illusion technique.

Immediately, she placed two of her fingers on the back of his neck, " _Kai!_ "

Painfully and repeatedly, he fought for air, starring in horror as soon as he regained consciousness.

She fanned his face with her hand, "Calm down, Sasuke."

"Where is Itachi?" He yelled, eyes looking around, "Where is _he_?"

"I said calm down—"

"He killed everyone in the clan. He even made me watch our parents get killed on repeat. And you still expect me to calm down? Don't tell me you're also on his side!" Accused Sasuke, his onyx eyes burning with anger.

"I'm asking you to calm down first so that you'll be able to think clearly. Would I still dispel the Genjutsu for you if I were on his side, no?"

Seemingly, Sasuke decided to ignore Erika's instruction by rolling out of his bed with his weak limbs endeavoring to support his body.

"Where do you think you're going?" Queried Erika worriedly.

"I'm going to kill Itachi."

Before long, Erika managed to stand in front of the door. "Move," commanded Sasuke harshly.

"You're only getting yourself killed if you decide to fight him in this condition."

The poor boy muttered, " _He should've killed me that night, too."_

"What did you just say?"

"He said that I wasn't _worth_ killing," he choked, his eyes watery. "Then he left me out."

Erika gazed down and heaved a deep sigh. She noticed that both her and Sasuke in fact, shared one thing in common—getting stabbed in the back, that is. For that reason, she was confident that she was able to comprehend Sasuke better than anyone else, better than himself even.

"Itachi might have left you out not because he considered you weak and unworthy. Instead, I think he regards you as a matching opponent." She opined, "Think about it, Sasuke. If he had killed you, then your pain only stopped there—you'd only become another nameless victim. But since you're a survivor, I know the pain is greater than death but you'll have to prove him that you're stronger than he sees you by continue living."

For a moment, he gave every indication of being persuaded, staring deeper into Erika's hazel orbs as if he was looking for comfort. But at the moment he blinked, his onyx eyes reflected a different kind of emotions that she failed to recognize. "Don't speak like you know everything about Itachi!"

"The same goes for you," replied her. "It's not us who failed to get to know him better. He never really showed his true self from the start."

* * *

At first, Erika was under the impression that Sasuke had faced up to the reality little by little by locking himself up in his room quietly. Until she was informed about his sudden disappearance, that very minute, she took herself off from work as her intuition instructed her to look high and low for the lone survivor.

The sun merged with the wide blue yonder, painting it to the hues of orange. The sun had shown signs that it might return to its haven in a little while; indicating how limited the time she got to pinpoint where Sasuke was. Just when she traveled by the riverside, she overheard a conversation between a young housewife and her son who appeared to be one age with Sasuke. Judging from the direction they came, it seemed that the mother had recently picked her son up from the Academy.

"Okaa-san, you said that something bad happened to my classmate, Sasuke but then, he came to school in the middle of a lecture." The young boy turned to his mother curiously, "How bad the situation he is facing, Okaa-san?"

"It's better for you not to know at all, Reo-kun," replied his mother. "Also, do not say anything that will make him sad. Okay, Reo-kun?"

 _He said that Sasuke attended the class today._ Without second thoughts, Erika sped up her pace in the hope that she would be able to run into him in time at the Academy.

As soon as she got there, she explored the entire building to come across the young Uchiha, yet it seemed that she failed to come after him. Be that as it may, the school was far from being unoccupied—there were still several students roaming around the corridor, arguing with one another about who should clean the toilets and who should stay in the classroom. Before the argument grew fiercer, Erika took the chance to separate them by walking in on their debate.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know where Uchiha Sasuke is?" Questioned Erika.

The two students merely exchanged a confused look before one of them started to screamed hysterically, "A ghost!" and began to run away, causing his friend who didn't seem to comprehend the situation to come behind him, as fast as his legs could carry him.

Still in bewilderment, Erika took a step back to study her appearance by looking into her reflection on the window behind her. And she found nothing wrong with her appearance so far. Sure, she looked a bit messy (and now she realized why she should not skip washing her hair every morning) compared to this morning, but in her humble opinion, she still had the appearance of a decent human being. Perhaps the students got mixed with the news about Sasuke having no living relative left and the fact that she was looking for Sasuke and usually, only those who were connected by blood were willing (or _forced)_ to pick up their siblings at the Academy. Children these days were only quick at making assumptions—had she not become Hanabi's caretaker, she could've sworn that she wouldn't be able to follow these children's train of thought.

Seeing that many of Sasuke's classmates couldn't distinguish a living soul from a ghost (and for God's sake, the Uchiha certainly had their typical, _distinguished_ looks. Which Uchiha had auburn hair and a pair of hazel eyes?), Erika gave up on depending on them and decided to proceed to the principal's office. Though years had passed since she last came to the Academy (she believed the last time was when she graduated), thank God the principal's office hadn't been moved to somewhere else—unless the sign showed otherwise, by all means.

To her surprise, she didn't expect to encounter her former homeroom teacher, Daikoku-sensei still as plump as she remembered him to be.

The new principal had to squint his eyes in order to view clearer, "Hyuuga Erika, is it?" A fatherly smile spread over his lips, "How have you been doing? What occasion possibly brings you here?"

"It's been a while, Sensei." Erika approached him to shake his hands, "Actually, I'm here to pick Sasuke up but I can't find him anywhere. Do you know where he went?"

Suddenly, the expression of Daikoku changed, "Have you… heard about the last night incident?" he hesitated. "Oh, silly me. Of course, you've heard everything since you're here for Sasuke. Well, the thing is… I lost sight of him. I'm sorry. I know I should've paid more attention to him, but one of our students caused trouble more often than not. What's more, the trouble he caused always gets another student into an accident, which requires immediate treatment. You may also notice that many Academy students have come and gone to the hospital because we still lack in medical practitioner at the infirmary. I have to take the injured students to the hospital almost every day. For that reason, I don't think I can really focus on solely one student at the moment."

"I work at the hospital, so I also noticed that, Sensei," informed Erika, "No need to be worried, their complaints are nothing serious, I assure. And you don't need an expert medical practitioner to be in charge of the infirmary. Someone who is good with children will be enough."

"Ah, I see. I really appreciate the piece of advice, Erika." The principal folded his arms on the table in front of him, "If you're not in hurry, I'd like to know about the interesting career you're pursuing. Do you work at the hospital as the representative of Medic Corps or are you already a residence there?"

"Err, Sensei—it's not like I'm against the idea of catching up but I'm quite in a hurry, so I promise you that we'll continue this conversation some other time when we're both unoccupied. How does that sound?"

"Oh, my apologies! I should've been more considerate," he expressed. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you around, Erika."

As she stepped out of the Academy, the sun had set, shadows becoming one with the dark. She could only exhale a long, hopeless breath. And now the night had fallen, the difficulty of locating Sasuke's whereabouts would be twice harder. The last time she stumbled on Sasuke was in the woods where he _almost_ burned the entire forest down. She became worried sick; unable to imagine what he could have been possibly done by the time she spotted him. Yet, if Erika were to be more thorough, there was still one place that she hadn't inspected, nor she had misgivings about.

The Uchiha Complex.

She lost count of how many times she had let her intuition took control over her body today. In the fullness of time, her feet brought her to the front gate that she recalled to be sealed with police line had it broken through. _It could be Sasuke._ At top speed, she was left with no options but to go through the restriction area. Her first stop was the clan leader's house—Sasuke's old home, yet she didn't sense Sasuke's presence inside the house. It also seemed that the responsible party had investigated the place further by outlining the adequate evidence at the crime scene. Therefore, Erika decided not to barge into the house and turn around.

After she had wandered around the complex to search for Sasuke, she was close to losing her hope in finding him when she ended up in the riverbank of Naka River. A short distance from where she stood, she spotted a familiar boy sitting on the dock, looking down at the calm river with his feet hanging over the surface of the water.

Erika had to move aside in order to examine Sasuke's expression from afar. But, just when she had found the right angle, suddenly, the young boy's face turned red, flushing with anger. Shortly after, he jumped off the dock into the cold water, which caused Erika to spontaneously run after him and threw herself into the river. Fortunately, she managed to grab the collar of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him up to the surface before she got out of breath.

"Don't tell me you've been following me!" was the accusation she received after she had transported him back to the dock.

"Aren't you supposed to thank me for saving your life?" Erika raised her voice slightly, her tone sending forth anger and disappointment, "What do you think you were doing? You've been given a second chance to live and you wanted to throw it away! Many of my patients who battled terminal illness until their last breath would've wanted to cherish the second chance you got."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself!" Defended the young Uchiha, "I just saw Itachi's face on the reflection, okay? I got so angry and let my anger get the best of me. That's all. I'm not even thinking about dying until Itachi's paying for what he's done to my family."

She deeply gazed into his eyes and engrossed in the seriousness that his eyes were throwing back. The look he gave was similar to the look her fading fast patient gave. Despite his serious eyes were burning with determination to live, the similarity he shared with the patient was the role of their disease catalyzing their strong will to make it. But in Sasuke's case, the disease he suffered was hatred—a hatred that would make him become stronger as he learned to live with it but it also had the potential to destroy him at long last if it grew more incurable with each passing day.

The night wind gusted their soaked clothes, piercing through the skin to a certain degree. Noticing that, Erika took the initiative to drive Sasuke away from his bad memories. "You can stay in the emergency room for the time being. I'll talk to the Sandaime to provide you an affordable accommodation tomorrow."

As per usual, he didn't utter a word.

"Hey, Sasuke, to tell you the truth—I'm glad you don't lose hope in continue living, plus, you've also set a certain goal you wish to achieve," praised her all of a sudden, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. "But don't go overboard. Always know your limits, but it doesn't mean you will have to limit yourself. You can always—extend your limits."

* * *

Erika was thankful that she instructed Sasuke to stay at the hospital instead of offering him to stay with her for the time being. But at the same time, she deep down wished Sasuke was accompanying her because a somewhat familiar stranger, who claimed to be a colleague of her late father paid an unexpected visit that night.

The visitor had his eye and his arm bandaged, and he was wearing a robe that seemed to be hindering his movements. Erika could've sworn that she had seen him somewhere but she failed to remember the details…

As soon as the mysterious visitor noticed Erika's arrival, he rose to his feet to greet her, "Hyuuga Erika? I've been waiting for you."

"May I ask why you are here?"

"Actually," the old man took a step forward, which led Erika to spontaneously step back, "I have something urgent to tell you…"

Because of his nauseating breath, she had to hold her breath while listening to him, "I'm sorry but can you come back again, maybe tomorrow? It's getting late. And I've been working all day, so I hope you can understand the—"

"It's regarding the death of Senju Sakuya," he revealed. "Kiyoshi meant to tell you about this when you're ready. But now that he joined your mother early, as his comrade, it is my responsibility to fill in for him."

 _Otou-san knew all about this?!_ So, it was true that he'd been hiding it from her…

"I'm sorry for asking you to leave earlier—um, sorry, I haven't asked for your name. You are…?"

"My name is Shimura Danzo."

"All right, Shimura-san," Erika repeated, her heart rate quickening, "My mother was bleeding severely when she arrived at the hospital. And all the medical practitioners neglected her just because she was a missing-nin. A criminal. That's all I know, from the point of view of a former uncertified doctor who tried to save her mother's life. Now, I'd like to know what I have no knowledge of. I want to know about what caused my mother bleeding seriously."

"Of course, you're her daughter. You have every right to know." Danzo added, "But before we continue, can we go to a more secluded place? Because what I'm about to tell you is top confidential. You wouldn't wish anyone to overhear it."

"Oh, right! I should've invited you inside sooner," Erika opened her house door and made a way for the guest to enter, "Come in!"

Halfheartedly, he looked around before the host offered him to take a seat. He coughed, "I'm not sure if you have noticed this or not since you were so young back then. But, there was a conflict between the Senju and the Konoha council. The conflict arose since Namikaze Minato, who came from an unremarkable clan had been appointed to become the Fourth Hokage. To make the long story short, the Senju didn't receive the decision favorably and they occasionally excluded themselves from attending the village's important events. Rumors had it that the Senju intended to bring down the government, even though the Sandaime had taken over again after the death of Minato. To prevent the seizure of power from taking place, the Sandaime and the Council assigned Sakuya to become a spy to her own clan and ordered her to assassinate the Senju higher-ups that were directly involved in organizing the revolution."

The imagination of what her mother had gone through filled her with fear to the point that it made catching a breath harder. Erika knew all along that a kind-hearted person like her mother wouldn't have committed such a crime of her own free will and she might have been secreting something from her—from the rest of the world even, but she wouldn't have thought that it was something _deeper_ , darker than she had imagined it.

Even so, she barely knew the old man named Shimura Danzo. And so his ulterior motives.

"But why Okaa-san would do that? Did she perhaps gain something in return by obeying the Councils?"

"Because if she didn't do it, who else would?" Answered him precisely, "Don't you think that's what she would be saying if she were still alive?"

Her hazel eyes opened out in horror as if she was listening to the statement in Sakuya's voice. It had only been a while since she could sustain herself and let go of her mother wholeheartedly. Yet, the way Danzo conveyed her mother reasoning stirred up the emotions that she'd been attempting at burying, "But why are you telling me just now? To warn me about my living Senju relatives taking revenge on me? Oh, you don't have to worry, they've already done that."

He smirked, "Do you think it is related to your deceased father's case?"

 _Could it be…?_

"Don't make me even more confused," she sighed. "Itachi admitted that he was given an order to murder my father. If what you're trying to imply is another Senju ordered Itachi to do so, then it makes sense."

 _No, it can't._

"It won't be possible," Danzo rejected the idea. "ANBU only follows authorized orders. Think about it, your father is the commander, who else would have more authority to give such an order? Of course, it would be someone who ranks higher than him."

* * *

In the afternoon, Erika still got some time alone to spend before she came to pick Sasuke up from the Academy. These days, she felt like she failed to understand herself. She wished to keep herself busy all the time because it felt lonely to come home early, but she also had a hard time to stay focused at work, (which Mayumi had warned her at times). She could've sworn she had never been this stressed out before—perhaps, all she needed at the moment was some fresh air to clear her mind.

She went to the park two times in a row this week and didn't feel like strolling around the area for now. Of all the relaxing places she could visit, her feet ended up bringing her to the memorial park, where her father was laid to rest. Seemingly, it was only the second time she visited Kiyoshi's grave. The last visit she paid was with Itachi. But now, she was _companionless_. If truth be told, she'd always been waiting for this upcoming day, when she could finally face her father alone with a brave heart. Perhaps, she'd also missed her father, too, although he seemed to have prepared her for this very day to come by letting her take well care of herself (and the house) since she was young. But there were times when she didn't eat her dinner right away because she still hoped her father might come home late. People may die, but old habits will never.

Just when she was about to move straight to her father's grave, she got distracted by a familiar figure showing his broad back. The man with silvery hair only stood still in front of the memorial stone, lowering his head peacefully as if he was praying. Not wanting to disturb him, Erika walked behind him quietly and stopped a distance away from his back. Noticing her obvious presence, Kakashi took out his hands out of his pockets and said, "Are you here for the Commander?"

"Yes," she nodded. "What about you?"

"My father, my Sensei, and my former teammates, Obito and Rin."

"That's… a _lot_ ," Erika looked down apologetically, "I'm sorry for asking. You must have been through a lot."

"Don't be, it's been a long time already." Kakashi added, "Besides if they were still alive, I wouldn't have become the same person I am today."

"What do you mean?"

He hesitated for a while before explaining, "They passed away because I failed to protect them. I wasn't strong enough back then. Each one of them departed this life early, leaving me alone. Even if I wasn't ready and couldn't accept it at first, I had to survive. I had to become stronger so that I wouldn't keep making the same mistakes."

"I didn't know you were this big-hearted. Don't get me wrong—I know you're actually a righteous person despite the dirty book you're reading, but I thought you were kind of _aloof_ —indifferent in some ways. You don't seem like to care much about what people may say when you're reading that book in public. However, you can't really judge a book by its cover. I would never know what you've gone through until you told me just now. From where I stand, of course, you get tired of losing precious people in your life, that's why you wished to become stronger. And you achieved that, which makes me thankful that you decided to endure the pain instead of having it easy."

"Just so you know, you're the first person that ever said that to me. I appreciate that" He smiled faintly. "But can you stop addressing it as a dirty book? It's a work of art. Also, stop using the book pun, _please._ "

"Oh, my bad!" She chuckled lightly before she gave another serious look to the memorial stone, "You know what? Maybe I was wrong. You don't only appear aloof. Perhaps, you're keeping your distance on purpose. I've lost precious people in my life, too, so I exactly know how _lonely_ it feels to the point you got traumatized by it. People come and go and death usually visits at the most unexpected times. Don't you think it will be _less_ lonely if we don't build special connections with people we expect to leave?"

"I'm amazed you're actually right," he responded nonchalantly, thrusting his hands into his pockets again. "I won't be a hypocrite to say that we shouldn't live in the past forever and shall move on. We are here because of the past—it goes without saying, what happened in the past will have an impact on us in the future. But, when someone finally said what I've been buried in my chest for so long, it feels… light inside. Especially when you have forgotten how it feels like to put your well-being first before others'."

"I'm glad that I moved your icy heart a bit," she gleamed.

"Yeah, I'm also happy for you, Erika." Kakashi added, "But I never really mentioned you were the person."

"Oh, really? Then, who you were talking with?"

"Well, I'm just sharing how relieved it is to get something you've been hiding because you have no one to talk to off of your chest. If you perhaps need someone to understand what you can't, I'll be all ears." The ANBU captain shrugged.

For all she knew, what she'd undergone could be pale in comparison with what Kakashi had faced. Plus, he had hidden his pain away for a longer time, making it grow deeper and greater as time went by. Hence, they might be having different measurements of 'relief'. What Erika categorized as the state of being relieved could only ease Kakashi's mind to a certain degree and otherwise. For all that, all she could see was Kakashi starting to open up with her, which made her elated and frightened at the same time. They were aware of how painful it was to lose another precious person in their lives, yet either one of them took the first step to build a new relationship that allowed them to get hurt _again_ if they weren't careful enough to keep themselves safe, to say the least.

Small talk turned into a deep conversation that neither of them had the intention to prolong beforehand. The time ticked by before she knew it, reminding her that she might have enjoyed it more than she was supposed to.

"I forgot I need to go somewhere," announced her. "Goodbye, and take care."

He didn't reply, which confirmed that he agreed not to cross the line.

Or his silence might say otherwise.

She wasn't certain, yet she opted not to dig deeper.

* * *

The conversation she was engaged in caused her to lose track of time. By the time she arrived at the Academy, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. When Erika asked one of his classmates with a distinctive hair color (thank God, the young girl didn't mistake her for another ghost this time), she told her that he just went off as soon as the bell rang. It was rather strange. There wasn't a day went by when she didn't fetch him after school. It appeared that Sasuke might be escaping from her deliberately, which demanded her to pursue him without delay.

Luckily, he hadn't departed too far, enabling her to spot his spiky hair from afar by the riverbank. As soon as she caught sight of his back, she shouted from behind, "Sasuke! Wait up!"

Yet, he didn't seem to be bothered and continued walking, leaving Erika with no other choices but to run after him.

She caught her breath hardly after she managed to catch up with him, "Are you going home?"

Suddenly, he stopped, still not turning around. "It's none of your business."

" _Patience is a virtue_ ," she said to herself quietly and in an attempt to reach for his arm out of concern, "Did anything happen at school? You seem not to be in a good mood."

He dodged her hand, "Stop acting like you're my legal guardian. I never asked you to become one either."

She glared at him in disbelief, hands placed on her hips. "As far as I can remember, you were fine yesterday. You even listened to me and obeyed me. Where did that attitude go away, huh?"

"Well," he suddenly turned to her, still in anger, "Why are you still here? Why are you not dead yet?"

She had to blink twice to read the situation, "Pardon?"

"Everybody knows you're close with Itachi. Why did he spare you?"

"We _weren't_ as close as people believe. Likewise, I failed to get to know him. I have no idea that he would do something unforgivable like that." She explained.

"It's still unfair for me," he acknowledged. "We both got spared, but for me—he killed everyone in my family. I can't even erase the memory of him killing both of our parents from my mind. It… traumatizes me. It haunts me every night when I try to fall asleep, causing me to blame myself for not being strong enough to put up a fight—to enter the room sooner because I was too afraid of losing my life. But now, I'm all alone. Everyone takes pity on me, including you."

Sasuke's circumstances made her come to a realization that she was actually _luckier._ Even though both of her parents passed away when she was fairly young and without notice, to boot. Having said that, she lost them at the age when she could eventually fathom that everything might happen for a reason and none of the demises of her parents was her fault, to begin with.

"Did you forget? I also lost both of my parents recently. And maybe I haven't told you this, but despite carrying the prestigious Hyuuga surname with me, I was born as a branch member, whose life was supposed to be devoted to the main family. Quite a few main family members still don't pay us respect. Also, if you were familiar with my mother, everyone claimed that she married beneath herself and she was an S-class missing-nin, too. The rest of the clansmen disowned her—and now that she's gone, they seek revenge against me, although I didn't even do something wrong in the first place."

To her surprise, Sasuke was paying close attention, his onyx eyes reflecting fellow feeling, "Do you know why I'm telling this to you? Of course, my intention is not to compare which of our background is more miserable. I'm not saying that I cope with mine better because I keep getting involved in your personal life all of a sudden. Perhaps, you don't see me having a hard time because I'm always surrounded by many people on a daily basis. However, it doesn't change the fact that I still feel lonely most of the times. I don't talk about this to anyone because like you, I don't want people to pity me. It makes me want to pity my life even more. And it sucks. Feeling lonely _sucks_ , and I don't wish you to go through it alone, to say the least."

As expected, Sasuke didn't come out with anything, resulting in Erika taking the initiative to fight off the moment of awkwardness. She lifted up her chin and coughed, "Have you eaten dinner? Wanna grab some food on our way home?"

"I'm sorry for accusing you earlier," he murmured incoherently. "But you don't really need to look after me at all times. I have no clue about how I'm going to pay your kindness back in the future."

"Well, I don't expect you to pay me anything back. I'm doing it sincerely."

* * *

Seeing that Sasuke didn't like it when Erika got herself too involved in his daily life, she decided to respect his privacy a bit and let him seek for her first. But knowing Sasuke, it was either he had no difficulty in life on a daily basis or he refrained himself from getting Erika into trouble, he never contacted her since the last time they had the talk.

Until he paid her an uninvited visit to her workplace, with a companion, to boot. What's more, the companion had a bigger figure than Sasuke himself. To be precise, his hair was a bit too shiny for a boy, and he also got ridiculously thick eyebrows framing his face—there were the only features of his face that hadn't been covered by bruises if she were to be dramatic enough.

"I brought you a patient," he announced.

"Oh my God!" She led the taller boy to take a seat on the examination table, "Can you tell me how you got all these from?"

"I hit him," Sasuke answered on the patient's behalf.

"Is that so?" Erika furrowed her eyebrows in disapproval, "Then you better explain yourself."

"He challenged me, I beat him, he didn't like it and started a fight, and I beat him again."

She rolled her eyes, "Boys will be boys." And began to give medical care to the shiny-haired boy. Thank God, a Mystical Palm alone could speed up the healing process and fix the boy's face to its original form without a trace.

In brief, the two Academy students expressed their gratitude before taking their leave and going their separate ways, "Where are you going?" Erika's question stopped both of them in their tracks.

The taller boy swiveled his body around, "I'm coming back home, Sensei!"

Erika had to shift her gaze to Sasuke in order to make him open his mouth, "Going home as well."

"No, Sasuke. You're not going straight home after beating your friend up." She suggested, "You're going to escort him home and apologize to his parents for what you've done."

"I wouldn't have sought your help if I still had to deal with it myself," he complained.

"There's a huge difference between dealing with it yourself and neglecting your responsibility," she pointed out. "Besides, he's all right now. His parents won't scold you severely if worse comes to worse."

"Sasuke-kun doesn't really have to do that." The original patient somehow sided with Sasuke.

"See?"

"I'm not treating him free of charge for you," she stated. "But I won't take your money. You will have to pay with doing as I said."

It was Sasuke's turn to roll his eyes this time, "Whatever." With much reluctance, he let his classmate lead the way and followed him from behind. At the very least, he made sure that he came home safely.

While Sasuke was off to accompany his friend home, Erika traveled to the Academy on her own to stop by the principal's office shortly. Though she might be feeling rather uncomfortable to pay a sudden visit at this hour when the night almost fell. Luckily, from below, she could spot the light in one of the rooms was brightly lit as yet, meaning the person she planned to meet might be working overtime as yet.

Not anticipating her sudden appearance at the front door of his office, the recently promoted principal still welcomed her with open arms as per usual. "Please be seated," Daikoku offered her politely as he asked her to come in. "It always feels nostalgic to have an alumnus over after some time. What is it all about, Erika? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Didn't you say that you were looking for a medical representative to be assigned to the infirmary? I made up my mind and I volunteer to become one."

* * *

Author's note: a long-ass chapter because I feel sorry about not updating much when I was on my summer break. So, here we have Sasuke, still in denial and messed up. Of course, who would handle it easily anyway? I hope I didn't write it too messy, at least you can still imagine the situation I depicted, can you not? Despite Danzo being as misleading as always, stretching the truth and all - putting the blame on the Hokage when it was clearly his fault. Poor Erika. Oh, I have planned to give Kakashi an important role from the start. I genuinely think he and Erika are much alike - they share a lot of common things and are able to relate to each other well. I'd rather call their relationship 'friendship with no emotional attached' lol I had a lot of fun writing their interactions! Hope you don't mind if I either Erika or Itachi have to share the stage with him. Also, what do you think about Erika becoming the medical representative at the infirmary? Sasuke won't like it if she gets too clingy and she wants to respect that. Therefore, she applied for the perfect position that will allow her to watch over Sasuke without feeling guilty about getting out of the line since she will only be doing her job. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it and please do anticipate the upcoming chapter ^^


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